Between the President and His Godsons … Good Times are Here

For weeks, the streets outside the palaces of Lagos’ stylish monarchs—the Oniru and the Elegushi—stood bare. No sirens, no official motorcades, and conspicuously, no police vans. The air, once thick with royal ceremony, had grown quiet. Word around town was that a certain godfather was displeased.

At the heart of the silence was news of President Bola Tinubu’s simmering frustration with two of his protégé-kings: Oba AbdulwasiuOmogbolahanLawal of Iruland (Oniru) and Oba SaheedAdemolaElegushi of Ikate Kingdom. Their alleged involvement—direct or indirect—in Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s political misadventure to oust Lagos Speaker MudashiruObasa left the president reportedly incensed. That neither monarch picked up the phone to verify whether the governor truly had Aso Rock’s blessing made matters worse. In Lagos politics, loyalty isn’t just currency—it’s ritual.

Security details were swiftly allegedly withdrawn, leaving the kings to improvise. Private guards in tailored suits stood in, while whispers of “presidential fury” swirled through the corridors of power. Obasa, beloved in Bourdillon circles, was later reinstated—with the moral equivalent of a presidential side-eye to all involved.

But Nigerian politics, like Nigerian weddings, is rarely without drama—and always open to reconciliation.

Cue the Sunday photo-op: Tinubu, flanked on either side by his once-estranged godsons, smiling in Lagos. No official statements, no apologies—just optics. And in Nigerian statecraft, optics often trump everything else.

By Tuesday, the duo was in Abuja—an audience at the Villa, faces composed, the proverbial agbadas crisp. While the presidency remained tight-lipped, aides described it as a “consultation” on youth, security, and community development. In other words: the dance has resumed, the beat adjusted.

So, are the kings forgiven? Highly probable. Is trust fully restored? Almost certainly.

In the theatre of Nigerian power, performance matters. And for now, the cast is back on stage—robes flowing, smiles rehearsed, and everyone acting as though the intermission never happened.