Oba Lateef Adams: As Fashion Designer, I Made Clothes for Presidents Babangida, Obasanjo, Jonathan

His Royal Majesty, Oba Lateef Adams, the Onikate of Ikate Kingdom in Lagos State, Nigeria, embodies a unique fusion of traditional leadership and entrepreneurial success. Long before his ascension to the throne in 2016, Oba Adams established a formidable reputation as a pioneer in Nigeria's fashion industry.

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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 Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and he was the kind of father who wanted all his 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.

Through his fashion house, Latris Fashion, he significantly influenced indigenous menswear, earning the prestigious Fashion House of the Year award in 1990 from the Daily Times. This recognition cemented his status as a leading figure in the fashion world.

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So, my life just continued from there normally, I wasn’t looking for royalty or chasing a crown. I 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.

As he marks his 10th anniversary on the throne and prepares to launch initiatives to empower his subjects, Oba Adams shared insights into his life and journey. He described a humble upbringing in a middle-class family, where his father instilled the importance of education. He revealed that he was unaware of his royal lineage until his twenties, when a spiritual reading in his mother's hometown indicated a crown awaited him.

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Just as I 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 came from God and despite the prophecy I spoke about regarding a crown on my head, I never held onto that thought.

Oba Adams emphasized that his path to kingship was not driven by ambition but by divine will and a belief in hard work. His focus remained on his fashion career, which connected him with prominent Nigerians, including former presidents and political figures. He stated, "My kingship came from God and despite the prophecy I spoke about regarding a crown on my head, I never held onto that thought."

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No, I didn’t dwell on it. I didn’t have time for it. My job made me happy, it 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.