Oshodi Royal Family Challenges Lagos Government Over Stool Dispute

The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family has filed a suit against the Lagos State Government, accusing it of supporting rival claimants to the Oshodi traditional stool and attempting to install another Oba, despite a tribunal recommendation and successive court rulings affirming their entitlement to the throne.

A Royal Battle Heads to Court

The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family has accused the Lagos State Government of supporting rival claimants to the Oshodi traditional stool and attempting to install another Oba, despite a series of court decisions that the family says have left a tribunal recommendation in its favour intact.

The allegation is contained in court documents filed before the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Ikeja, in Suit No. ID/1457GCMW/2026, instituted by Prince Yaya Oseni-Agedegudu and Kabiru Eeyantan on behalf of the royal family.

The Tribunal’s Recommendation

The dispute revolves around the recommendation of a Standing Tribunal of Inquiry into Chieftaincy Matters, constituted by the state government to determine whether the baaleship of Oshodi should be upgraded to an obaship.

The tribunal, chaired by retired Justice A.O. Silva, commenced sitting on June 1, 2005, and completed its proceedings before submitting its findings in 2012.

The tribunal recommended the Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family as the family entitled to produce the Oba of Oshodi.

Courts Affirm the Recommendation

The family maintains that attempts by rival families to overturn the recommendation have failed before the courts.

· The Oshodi Arota Ologun family challenged the recommendation at the High Court, which dismissed the case on September 24, 2014.

· The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on March 25, 2020, with costs.

· The Supreme Court dismissed its appeal on July 13, 2021, also with costs.

Alleged Government Partisanship

Despite the successive court rulings, the royal family alleges that the state government changed its position after initially commencing administrative steps to implement the recommendation.

They specifically challenge a letter dated October 20, 2022, written by the Lagos State Attorney General, which recognised the Oshodi and Arota families as entitled to produce the Oba of Oshodi.

The claimants ask the court to declare them the family entitled to produce and continue to produce the Oba of Oshodi, and to restrain the Lagos State Government and rival families from recognising or installing another person as the traditional ruler.

A Lesson for Nigerian Youths

This story is a reminder that the struggle for power is often a battle between the powerful.

The Oshodi royal families have been fighting for decades over who will sit on the throne.

Courts have been involved.

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And yet, the dispute continues.

For Nigerian youths, the lesson is clear: do not be drawn into the battles of the powerful. The politicians and traditional rulers who fight for power will never allow their own children to suffer.

The children of the elite are never on the frontlines of these battles.

They are safely tucked away in universities or comfortable homes.

It is the children of the poor who are used as pawns.

Do not let anyone use you as a tool for their ambition. Build your own future.

And remember: true power comes not from a throne, but from character, integrity, and the ability to make a difference in the lives of others.