He was only invited to a function organised by the Police Wives Association of Nigeria (POWAN) held at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. He was also invited as chairman of the occasion. Fate however brought them together during the event and they henceforth built a bond which lasted till the former paid supreme price in June 1998 for his strong faith in new Nigeria where vote of an average electorate would count.
The picture above is the synopsis of how the Onikate of Ikate, Surulere, Lagos, Oba Lateef Atanda Abiodun Adams and the late business giant cum politician, Chief Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola struck a relationship, which was a catalyst in the life of Oba Adams and his company. Adams was the chairman and chief executive officer of the award-winning Latris Fashion on the upscale Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
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After some fruitful experience in importation of exotic wears, he divested and gave birth to his fashion outfit which gave the more established companies a hot chase in the business culminating in emerging the Fashion House of the Year at a show powered by Daily Times of Nigeria in 1990. Chief Mrs Folorunso Alakija won the award in the previous year. Latris Fashion, therefore, became a household brand among the social elite including musicians.
Recalling that crucial moment, Oba Adams said: “A female friend, who was a police officer invited me to the programme at Eko Hotel. I was sitting among the audience while MKO Abiola sat on the high table beside his wife, Alhaja Simbiat Abiola. I saw an opportunity in their presence and left my seat. I climbed the platform and walked to the backside of MKO Abiola. I politely introduced myself and gave him my complimentary car. I was very much surprised when he told Alhaja Simbiat that ‘Alhaja, he is our person, let’s patronise him; let us encourage him.’
“That was that defining moment which I did not imagine would come that soon. After that occasion, I did a follow up but it was not easy to enter his residence in Ikeja. The security guards could be frustrating. But one day, I was lucky. Abiola was very angry with the guards when he learnt I had made several attempts to see him. At the end of the day, I became his tailor and made progress in life because of that special status.”
The selling point of Oba Adams’ company, according to him, was creativity and hard work and friendly disposition to customers, saying his formal training in the United Kingdom gave him lots of exposure which were instrumental to his firm grip of his customers. Beyond his UK factor, Oba Adams is a self-made man who does not believe in undertaking a task in half measure.
His rise to the throne followed this pattern as he singularly took on the odds for 13 years and eventually had the last laugh. Ikate, Surulere was under a Baale from time immemorial. But to the credit of Oba Adams is the elevation of the status to beaded crown. If, however, you ask Oba Adams, he would not blink his eyes to say ‘it was not a smooth journey.’
He recalled: “For 13 solid years, I was on the matter. I was on it all alone but with the support of God and support of my wife, Olori Riskat Iyabode Adams. If God had not supported me, I would not have been here today. The process took my time, my energy and whatever you can think of in that circumstance.
“When it looked like we were approaching the end of it, something would happen and it would take more years. I was thinking that the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration would do it. But it did not happen. We were still on it until Governor Akinwumi Ambode finally approved it.”
The news of his appointment by the Lagos State governor on June 28, 2017 naturally excited Oba Adams but he did not lose his composure, bearing in mind the waiting years he had to endure. “All in all, it was a sweet victory because some were in the same shoes but who did not live to witness the end of the struggle.
“I am now praying to God to give me good health to enjoy the position. If one does not have a good health, the position is meaningless. My prayer now is for good health and long life. I thank God that I survived the struggle because I had at a point become a subject of ridicule to some people. Some had even lost hope in the success of the case. They thought everything was a hoax,” he reminisced.
Interestingly, the same set of people who had mocked Oba Adams were the first set of guests that arrived the Surulere Local Government premises for his coronation and presentation of staff of office. They did not only come early, they came in groups to confirm the news. And they were not disappointed when they saw Oba Adams emerging in full aso-oke robe with all paraphernalia of office and being led to his seat.
“It was July 24, 2016. Governor Ambode was to do the presentation of the staff of office but he was in Badagry with all his commissioners for a state matter. That was why Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs came to represent him and did the presentation. It was a day to remember for a long time, in terms of the number of important personalities from all walks of life that came to celebrate the day with me. I was fulfilled to have entered the race and ended it well,” he said.
The story of his journey is not complete without a chapter on the famous King of World Beat, Sunny Ade. King Sunny Ade is an indigene of Ondo in Ondo State, his connection with Onikate’s stool should raise curiosity and Oba Adams has this to say: “I attended a function where King Sunny Ade was on the band stand. He was aware that I had declined to work on elevating our Baale status to Obaship.
“He called and told me that it would record against my name that I gained the promotion for the town. I must say that that word hit me as if I had never heard such before. And that was how I changed my mind and decided to give it all it would take to achieve it,” he said.
Oba Adams’ eventual rise to the stool, on deep reflection, followed a prophecy made by a priest in Shagamu, Ogun State. The concerned mother only took her son to the traditionalist in her home town to seek protection for the young Adams being a child born into a polygamous family, and who needed all motherly care to navigate the rough terrain of life.
“But suddenly, the priest said to my mother that he was seeing a crown on my head. I was looking at him with disbelief. Apart from looking at him that way, I was not interested in what he was saying. I just listened. We left the place, and I did not remember the prophecy until I got deep into the effort to get here.
“What I found out in that matter is that what God has ordained will definitely come to pass regardless of any obstacle on the way. I can only advise that we should not be desperate, especially for traditional position. My experience has shown that one must have been destined for the throne to get there,” he sermonized.
His social status before the throne had placed him among the upper class of Lagos and its environ. He was and still is a member of the prestigious Lagos Island Club, Ikoyi Club, Lagos Tennis Club, Eko Club and Association of Friends. This privilege attracted him to opposite sex who found good compliment in his good look and fame as a successful fashionista.
Against expectations, Oba was not carried away by this razzmatazz, protecting his matrimony jealously. He would not have any meal outside his home. He must return home to listen to 10 ‘0 clock news. Even as a traditional ruler now who enjoyed more privilege, he says it is too late for him to adjust to strange life, hence the reason he would always dismiss any question on his tendency to take another wife.
“That life belongs to the past even among traditional rulers now. Having many wife is outdated; it is out of fashion. A traditional ruler who wants to enjoy himself should be satisfied with the woman with whom he weathered the storm.
and then