DEFENDER ROYALTY: It was love at first sight when I met my wife in London — Oba Lateef Adams, Onikate of Ikate Surulere

*We have been together for 45 years and she has supported me every step of the way

Oba Lateef Adams, the Onikate of Ikate Surulere, is a traditional ruler whose journey to the throne is as remarkable as it is inspiring. Before ascending the throne of his forefathers, he had already carved out a distinguished career as the founder and chairman of Latris Fashion, a renowned fashion brand honoured as Fashion House of the Year by the Daily Times in 1990. His reputation for elegance and professionalism earned him the confidence of some of Nigeria’s most influential personalities, including the late Chief MKO Abiola, former Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida, and former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

Yet, beyond the world of fashion and business lay a destiny foretold in his youth. A prophecy shared with his mother while he was in his twenties eventually came to pass a decade ago when he ascended the throne as the Onikate of Ikate Surulere. Together with his wife, Olori Risikat Adams, whom he met by chance in London, the monarch has built a close-knit family and transformed the palace into a platform for community development and humanitarian service.

As he celebrates ten years on the throne, Oba Adams is set to launch what he describes as his most ambitious empowerment initiative, designed to equip members of his community with opportunities for self-reliance and economic growth. In this exclusive interview with BASHIR ADEFAKA, the respected monarch reflects on his childhood in Lagos, his successful career in the fashion industry, his unexpected journey to the throne, and his vision for the future of Ikate. Excerpts:

As a traditional ruler, you control your domain — when disputes arise, people come to you first, and you settle them; where you can’t resolve something amicably, you refer it elsewhere. If government would restore more of that responsibility to traditional rulers, it would actually make the work of the police easier too. Why should the police be burdened with minor community disputes that a royal father could resolve with wisdom and moral authority?

Let’s talk about what your background was like growing up and the transition you can point to in your journey to eventually ascending the throne of your forebears
I come from a normal background, definitely not from a wealthy family. I am from a middle-class family at the time and my father worked at the Railway and he was the kind of father who wanted his all children to be educated. I didn’t know I was from a royal family back then. That’s the truth. I was only aware that on the side of my mother, who is from Shagamu in Ogun State, they were of royal blood. You know a typical mother who loves her son would be protective of him and guide him as much as possible. So, when we went to her hometown, she went to make efforts for me to be protected spiritually and she was told by the people that they saw a crown on the head of her son. I was in my twenties at the time but I didn’t know where that was going to come from, because I didn’t know my father was from a royal family. So, my life just continued from there normally, I wasn’t looking for royalty or chasing a crown. I have just always cherished working hard to make a living and forge a good reputation. Before I became king, people knew me as the Founder and Chairman of Latris Fashion and I was known to many journalists back then.

Your name was known everywhere through the years of running Latris Fashion. Did it ever occur to you at that time that you could become king one day?
Just as I have said, I didn’t have it in mind. I only believed in myself and my job. And I was fully focused on that. I didn’t think about becoming king and definitely didn’t campaign for it. My kingship comes from God and despite the prophecy I spoke about regarding a crown on my head, I never held onto that thought.

Did you begin to trace your background or position yourself for the throne after you heard that, as many people would become fixated and start working towards it once told such?
No, I didn’t dwell on it. I didn’t have time for it. My job made me happy, gave me a name, and put me in the company of important people. It was my job in fashion that connected me to people like MKO Abiola, and later to notable Nigerians like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I made clothes for Babangida, President Obasanjo, President Goodluck Jonathan, the only one I didn’t make clothes for was Buhari.

Your journey from being a renowned fashion entrepreneur to the royal stool is a remarkable one. Looking back at your years in the fashion industry, how would you say that prepared you for the role you play now?
I really wouldn’t say anything about the fashion industry prepared me for kingship today. I just had to prepare myself, essentially making up my mind to do what is necessary for this community so they would not just have a king but one they would be proud of. My fashion background only taught me how to serve customers well; it didn’t teach me how to be a king.

But you met a lot of influential people through your fashion business. Has that network helped you in your role as a traditional ruler?
Yes, of course. I’ll always give credit to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the role he played in my journey to becoming king. I believe God had already prepared the way, but there are people who help push you toward your destiny in good time.

At what point did the process toward the throne of Onikate of Ikate Surulere actually begin?
It started before my 50th birthday, now over twenty years ago. I’ll be 73 by December this year. I was called, although I didn’t seek it myself. The family that called me didn’t personally know me; only the Oloriebi (family head) knew my father, because I used to drive my father to the palace of Onitire. My father was a chief from the ruling house; not just an ordinary chief, but an important chief who was also from the ruling house of Ikate. He was the Mayegun of Itire at the time, handled land documentation for the town and served in effect as the Secretary to the palace. I used to drive him there whenever he had no one else to bring him.

Looking back over these ten years on the throne, what would you say are achievements recorded for the Ikate community?
I thank God for choosing me to be king here, because this place was in a difficult state before. Anyone in this community can testify to what I have done and what I continue to do. My belief is that when you are king over a community, you must ensure your people benefit from your presence, you must provide facilities for them so they can be happy. Look at the roads here now; they weren’t like this before. We made sure the roads in this area were fixed, because good roads make people happy and protect their vehicles. And look at how that has positively impacted the value of landed property unlike what obtained before I became king. A plot of land here sold for maybe N8million and the most expensive plots were about 20 million. Go and check what property goes for in this area today.

You spent about 13 years pursuing the stool before you were finally crowned. Those must have been difficult years. What kept you motivated?
When they first approached me about becoming king, I initially turned it down. By the time they called me, everything had already been arranged, my ruling house, the Omo Lamina Akinwunmi ruling house, had signed documents in support of my candidacy, following directives from our Oloriebi, the Wahabi Irawo. But when I asked whether there was even a palace structure in place, there wasn’t one, and I decided to hold off and continue with the Baale title to avoid unnecessary stress. What changed my mind was a conversation at a party between the son of Alhaji Wahabi Irawo, Fatai Irawo, who is the Oba of Odi Olowo Mushin and popular musician, King Sunny Ade. We were talking with King Sunny Ade before the party began and after he was told, he told me Baale wouldn’t give me much but that I would be superior if I became a king. That conversation is what pushed me to pursue it seriously and despite the fact that there was no opposition to my candidacy, it still took time. It was even published in The Punch at the time without objection after appearing at the Tribunal and nobody raised any objection and the process began under our current president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The process moved forward under Governor Raji Fashola with whom I was always in close contact, even at Bourdillon and he encourage me to keep going while assuring me of his support.

Has becoming a king meant stepping back from the day-to-day running of your fashion business, Latris Fashion, which was recognised as Fashion House of the Year in 1990 by Daily Times?
No, I am still very much involved. I moved the business from Ikeja to a new location, so people can see that I’m still active in it. We have an office and I still go there from time to time. I won’t leave the business that made me who I am and I still follow the trends of what is happening in the industry in Nigeria and beyond.

How many years passed between when your name was submitted and when you were finally crowned, and what challenges have you faced so far?
The process took about ten years from when it began till the time I ascended the throne but I have learnt that being king is very different from running a company. This community used to have serious problems with area boys, to the extent that people couldn’t even move around freely. When I became king, I put my foot down, wrote petitions to the government over the situation, and security operatives were brought in to deal with them. That’s why we now have relative peace here. I also engaged members of the OPC to help maintain order, now people enjoy living in this community today.
Everyone here knows Onikate of Ikate Surulere does not tolerate nonsense. If you misbehave, you’ll face the law. I’m proud that my community enjoys peace today under my kingship. You can go anywhere in this domain and ask people what they think of their king; they won’t hesitate to tell you. All of this has been achieved without little or no government funding. I fund community projects from my own pocket.

You said government doesn’t fund projects, including those relating to empowerment. How then do you generate funds for empowerment programmes, including this one for your 10th anniversary?
We are marking the 10th Coronation Anniversary on July 23rd and my wife and I sourced the funds for it ourselves; there’s no government involvement. Beyond this specific event, I’ve always supported this community with food and provisions. We usually do that about two to four times a year. For this particular one, marking ten years on the throne, we set out to do something that gives people the means to work and provide for themselves, other than food and clothes.
As such, we are giving out work tools like industrial sewing machines, grinding machines, the modern hairdryers used in hair salons and deep freezers to help others start or expand their own small businesses. We are also supporting people who what to go into pure water business with a capital about 100,000 naira each.
The funding comes from my wife and I mainly, along with support from about seven people I approached personally. I made a decision a long time ago not to hand out chieftaincy titles carelessly, to people who would become chiefs and never return. By God’s grace, I don’t need excessive wealth for myself, what I have always focused on is to live well. This is only the second of such chieftaincy affairs since I became king; the first was for my 70th birthday in 2023 and this one for the 10th Coronation Anniversary. I deliberately chose people I consider serious and presentable, not just anyone looking for a title.

Let’s go back to your childhood. What was growing up like for you, before the fashion business and before the throne?
My father was very strict. I was born at Massey Hospital and raised in Isale Gangan in front of Onaola in Lagos, so I am full Lagosian. Because of my father’s discipline, I made sure never to bring shame to my family’s name. I’m a Muslim, and I attended a Christian primary school, St. John’s School, Aroloya, before moving on Ansar-ud-Deen College, Isolo for my secondary education. My father made sure I stayed disciplined and didn’t fall into bad company in y formative years.

On the subject of traditional rulers’ involvement in national politics, there is a view that there are no roles for traditional rulers in terms of constitutional provisions. What’s your take on that?
The problem lies with those in power. Traditional rulers do everything possible to keep peace in their communities. As a traditional ruler, you control your domain — when disputes arise, people come to you first, and you settle them; where you can’t resolve something amicably, you refer it elsewhere. If government would restore more of that responsibility to traditional rulers, it would actually make the work of the police easier too. Why should the police be burdened with minor community disputes that a royal father could resolve with wisdom and moral authority? People listen to their traditional rulers in a way they may not listen to the police.

You built a hugely successful fashion business and met many influential and presidential figures along the way. What would you say is the secret to that success, for anyone hoping to follow a similar path?
In business, you cannot afford to feel too big for your customers, you have to humble yourself before them. That’s what I did. I remember meeting Chief MKO Abiola at an event years ago. I recognised him immediately as an important figure that I needed to connect with, so I approached him respectfully, introduced myself as a fashion entrepreneur, and gave him my card. That’s how our relationship began, and it grew because he saw me as a humble person, despite my success even back then. Humility, even after God has blessed you, is what opens doors.

Why did you choose the business of fashion, specifically, among other paths you could have followed?
It came from passion. I have always a person who likes to dress well. And that was even before I embraced native attires fully after marriage. I was known as a power dresser even in English attires, and a refined one at that. Back then, there were people bringing quality goods into the country at high prices, and I always asked myself why we should keep giving our money to others for things we could source and provide ourselves. That question is really what pushed me into importing and designing clothing for people. I have worked with designers in Italy over the years. I received a fashion award from the Daily Times in the early years of my business, around 1989/1990.

On a more personal note, you are known to be attractive to people around you but how did you meet your wife, Olori Risikat Adams?
I have always told myself I would only have one wife, because of the background I came from. I didn’t want issues within the family, and I wanted my children to grow up together, without any kind og division. Before I married my wife, I was in another relationship and I made it clear then that I wanted to be responsible for any children from that affair. I give my wife credit for how she has looked after me over the years, and I would do anything for her and for my children also. I met my wife in London, she was there for her own trading business, and I had gone there as well. We crossed paths in a shop, and from there, things developed. I approached her but due to the nature of women, she didn’t agree to my proposition. When we both eventually returned to Lagos, I started making my findings and I discovered she was living on Glover Road in Ikoyi at the time. I went there to visit her and that’s where things properly started between us.