The Kosoko Royal Family owns the Ereko portion of Lagos Island. Following the death of Oba Oluwole in 1841, the white cap chiefs of Lagos nominated Akitoye, a younger brother to both Oshilokun and Adele, as the Oba of Lagos. Kosoko would have been nominated at that time, but it was said that his whereabouts were unknown at the time. After Akitoye was crowned Oba of Lagos, Kosoko, who had reportedly been living in exile, was called the “Chief of Ereko” and given permission to establish his own royal courtin Ereko. This led to the expression “Kosoko baba ni Ereko” on Lagos Island.
A woman named Efunyelu, who subsequently became Sister Amelia Bickersteth, founded the Ereko Methodist Cathedral in Idumota, Lagos, in 1869. Bickersteth is 155 years old. The church was founded as a result of Sister Bickersteth’s fervent evangelical beliefs and her goal to share the gospel with Lagos Island’s market women in Yoruba. Prior to that, worship services were exclusively held in English at the Methodist churches located in the heart of Lagos.
