Kunle ADELABU
-Plans to build museum, institutes annual lecture, among others in his name
The Kosoko Descendants Youth Forum, the umbrella body of the youths born into the royal family of the late Oba of Lagos, Oba Kosoko, is set to immortalize the late monarch.
As part of the plans to immortalize the late Oba who reigned between 1845–1851, the family has concluded arrangements to organize an annual lecture.
The inaugural edition of the lecture, which is tagged, ‘1st King Kosoko Memorial Lecture’ and themed, ‘The Travail and Triumph of King Kosoko: A Lesson for Today’s Leaders’, is scheduled to hold at the Glover Memorial Hall, located at No 4, Custom Street, off Marina, Tinubu, Lagos Island, on Saturday, July 29, 2018.
The keynote speaker for the memorial lecture is Princess Adetope Kosoko, the former Registrar of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), while Mr Supo Sasore, former Lagos State Commissioner for Justice, would be presenting the lead paper.
Dr Michael Olusegun Fajuyigbe of the Department of Fine Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mr Kehinde Adepegba, department of Art and Industrial Design, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, Managing Director, Origin Gardens, Prince Jide Kosoko,veteran Nollywood actor, and others shall be presenting papers on the theme.
His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, would be the distinguished guest of honour, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the special guest of honour and His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Osuolale Aremu Akiolu,Oba of Lagos, is the distinguished royal father of the day at the lecture.
Other guests expected at the lecture are Chief Abiola Dosunmu, the Erelu of Lagos, Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi and Alhaja Mutiat Alli-Balogun.
Speaking at the press conference held at the Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos Island, Prince Abiola Kosoko, the Chief Executive Officer of Origin Zoo and Gardens in Ikorodu and the Chairman, Local Organizing Committee of the 1st King Kosoko Memorial Lecture, stated that the lecture was designed to describe and project late Oba Kosoko’s personality.
“The memorial lecture was designed to be an annual event with basic theme that will describe and project the personality of Kosoko as a king, Oloja and Prince as well as in-depth analysis of his antecedents throughout his life time”, he stated.
“The theme of this year’s memorial lecture is “The Travail and Triumph of King Kosoko: Lesson for Today’s Leaders”.
“However, the event is subdivided into three sessions: paper presentation, socio-cultural parade and exhibition of King Kosoko’s relics.
According to Prince Kosoko, “The paper presentation is the major activity of the memorial event. Scholars are expected to give in-depth papers on the person King Kosoko was within and outside Lagos.
“The socio-cultural parade will provide a platform for indigenous cultural parade that emanated during the reign of King Kosoko and those that got prominence as a result of his person.
On the proposed King Kosoko Memorial Museum, Prince Kosoko stated that the monument would house and preserve the relics and historical materials of the late king.
“The Kosoko Youth Forum for over a decade has been gathering relics of this great man towards the establishment of King Kosoko Memorial Museum.
“This year’s King Kosoko memorial lecture will also provide the required ambient to exhibit some of these relics for public to appreciate. The relics to be exhibited shall include, forty eight (48) most important slave letters of King Kosoko, slave chains, the British human skulls, King Kosoko’s war relics and relics of King Kosoko’s shrines. The idea behind this exhibition is to immortalize the historical remains of King Kosoko for tourism purpose.
“In addition, we shall also be giving awards to individuals and corporate organizations that have continuously support and protect the fabric of indigenous Lagos heritage.
“We are still working on insurance and security for some of these relics because they are rare objects that must be jealously and consciously guided and secured.
“We shall be bringing some of them on that day but not all. Our aim is to showcase them to the public, government and corporate bodies for them to see and appreciate what the Kosoko family has in their custody.
“We are appealing for the Lagos State Government and local and international body’s assistance and support in this regard. We want the state government to work with us in the preservation of these important historical materials to further make Lagos Island tourism hub.
Prince Kosoko added that the intention of the youths of the royal family is to revive the consciousness within the family, showcase its values and make them tourist attraction.
“One good thing about this project is that it’s targeted at the youths. If we had had the opportunity that we are trying to create now for the younger ones in the family, things would have been different and we would have been better for it.
“ Our own fathers did not see the history of the family as something that they needed to protect, guide and showcase. They just let everything lied low.
“We are re-creating a platform built in 1976 by the likes of Alhaji Elias, Alhaji Alade Sikiru and others. They all died in the 80s. It was their struggle to create a platform for the youths through the Kosoko Descendants Youth Forum that we are bringing back to life. They are the fourth generation of Kosokos and we are part of the sixth generation.
“If we fail to do this by putting our history into perspective, the history of Lagos would be gradually going into oblivion. And when that happens, anyone can come around to claim what belongs to us. We expect that what we are doing now would be continued and protected by the coming generations and copied by other families”, Prince Kosoko stated.
The family had on Thursday, July 19,2018, held a rally in and around Lagos Island to herald the celebration of the life and times of King Kosoko, paying homage at all the white cap chiefs’ palaces and houses of notable personalities in Lagos Island.
