Biography
Oba of Lagos, Riliwan Akinolu: Biography, Education, Wives, Children, Controversies, Net worth and More
By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu, was born on the 29th of October 1943.
Riliwan served in the Nigerian Police Force and rose to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police before his appointment as the 21st Oba of Lagos.
Education
Riliwan attended Ansar-Ud-Deen College in Surulere, Lagos State before going to the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, where he studied law.
Personal Life
Oba Rilwan Akiolu, a devoted Muslim, is married to four wives. Olori Talabi Titiola, his first wife, is the one publicly known among them.
Little is known about all his children, but one of them, Moshood Akinolu, is a member of Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives, representing Lagos Island II.
Controversies
Following Oba Rilwan Akiolu’s coronation, the Akinsemoyin Royal Family of Lagos filed a court case alleging denial of access to the throne.
In 2017, the monarch appeared in a viral video where he was alleged to have snubbed the greeting of the Ooni of Ife at a function. He denied the act.
The sign by Oba Akiolu signifies, ‘inu mi, inu e’, the culture of greeting in Lagos. If Oba Akiolu wanted to ignore, he would have turned his face away from Ooni. There is no misunderstanding between both highly revered monarchs in Yoruba Land,” as stated in a statement released by his spokesperson.
Oba Akinolu reappeared in another controversy when he swore at a meeting with the Igbo community in Lagos to pledge his support for Akinwunmi Ambode as the next Governor of Lagos State.
He said, “If anyone of you goes against Ambode, who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me.”
“If anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos state, the person is going to die inside this water” He concluded
This raised a lot of uproar on social media, and some people accused the monarch of hate speech and inciting violence against the Igbo community.
During the EndSars protest in 2020, his palace was stormed by hoodlums searching for COVID-19 palliatives meant for the people.
The food items were looted by the hoodlums who later proceeded to the main palace and carted away money, the royal staff of office and some other valuables.
The royal staff was reportedly returned several days later.
Months after the palace invasion, the King made a public statement about the incident.
“Many buildings were burnt, including vehicles used to generate income. I can now say publicly that they stole $2 million and N17 million from my palace” he said.
This revelation prompted a public outcry as the king was accused of money laundering. Keeping such a large amount of money at the palace is against the Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011.
Some social media users called for the arrest and prosecution of the monarch.
Net Worth
The Oba does not miss out on the list of richest monarchs in Nigeria as he is reported to have a net worth of about $40,000,000. His palace is reportedly worth $5,000,000.
His garage houses exotic car fleets such as the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mercedes-Benz S550, Toyota Prado Jeep, and many more.
Achievements
In 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the monarch as the Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto.
He has also wooed top firms like Zenith Bank and Dangote to help build medical centres in Lagos Island.
The monarch also reportedly donated N10 million to victims of a collapsed building in Lagos Island to cater for the rehabilitation and treatment of the victims.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. All details cannot be independently verified by NewsWireNGR or its editorial team.
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