A photograph from April 1977 Badagry, taken during Nigeria’s military era, a period when political authority was centralised and traditional institutions were formally affirmed through state recognition.

The moment coincided with the coronation of His Royal Majesty, De Wheno #Aholu Menu-Toyi I, #Akran of Badagry, an event that marked a new chapter in the long continuum of Badagry’s kingship.

At the time, the country was under military administration, and the presentation of a Staff of Office carried both cultural weight and official legitimacy binding ancestral authority to the modern state.

Seen in the photograph are His Majesty, De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi I, and Commodore Adekunle Shamusideen Lawal, a senior Nigerian Naval officer who would later serve as Military Administrator of Lagos State, formally presenting the Staff of Office.

The image captures a defining civic ritual: the crown signifying centuries of lineage and communal trust, and the uniform representing state power, order, and governance.

Badagry, a town long accustomed to witnessing turning points in Nigerian history, once again became the setting where tradition and authority converged.

Credits: Badagry Blog