LIFE LESSONS FROM KING OF BOYS II

Three-years after its blockbuster debut, King of Boys II by Kemi Adetiba returned to Netflix as a short series. Away from the buzz, literary content and criticism, we would be talking about the life lessons from King of Boys II in this article.

In contrast to the original film, Eniola returns with a different ambition of becoming the Governor and is faced with not just enemies from her past but also Jumoke Randle (Nse Ikpe-Etim), wife of the sitting governor who will do everything unseemly to maintain her husband’s place as Governor.

This situation leads us to the first life lesson from King of Boys II;

The Past Finds Its Way into Our Present

With the first release in 2018, I thought Eniola had so much enemies because of the dirty business she was involved in. For me, losing her children and her freedom for a particular period of time was enough penance.
So, when she came back in part II and decided to run for governorship. It was a clean sheet that might probably just come with new enemies and obstacles for me.

However, we saw the past meddle in her presence which is one of the lessons from King of Boys II; from Young Eniola (Toni Tones) continually reminding her of revenge, to Aare supporting her new opposition; Jumoke Randle and Makanaki who she ordered to be killed returning from the “dead”.
Jumoke Randle on the other hand, came back to Nigeria repackaged but her past with her mother wasn’t repackaged and it was used against her emotionally by Eniola Salami. That scene made sense of the power the Governor’s Mum had over her.

I know we can’t change the past and a lot of times we are advised to leave the past in the past. Eniola made us realise that whatever actions we take come with consequences. And when we least expect, these consequences might crawl into our present and ruin it or make it more difficult.

The Twist in Forgiveness

I grew up hearing people say that Forgiveness is about letting people who offend you go. They say it like when you forgive, you are just doing the other party a favour. As life progressed, the narrative I hear changed as people especially in the religious sphere advised that forgiveness gives you internal peace.
In KOBII, the twist that came with Makanaki who is supposed to be her enemy fight for her at the point of her death was an eye-opener. Eniola was critical enough to know that Makanaki would want to revenge, and so she stepped forward to settle their differences and join forces.

Away from Makanaki, Eniola also forgave Ade Tiger for working with her enemies in the past and rewarded him with a seat at the table. Her action misled their enemies and saved her at the end.
No one is an island of his/herself and so we need others at every point on the ladder up. If we don’t forgive, how do we get people who would come through for us?

Sacrifice is an element in winning

This one strong lesson to learn from King of Boy II. When Eniola beheaded Bobby in the short series, I felt bad. I mean he is was the loyal one. I felt really bad until the last scene played out where Odudu Bariba said “… you sacrificed your own…”, and it all made sense. Ade Tiger had told Oba what he did and the plan Aare had for her. Not that Bobby was disloyal or Eniola loved him less, but there had to be a sacrifice. Aare needed to think Eniola had fallen victim.

Bobby was her man, he stood and fought for her from part one, even at the Clash with Makanaki in part two. However, he was that sacrifice to become governor and still maintain power as the King of Boys.
So next time when a huge challenge comes that takes so much from you, see it as a sacrifice for a better tomorrow. The sleepless nights, the investments lost, and other sacrifices would be worth it at the end of the day.

Loyalty can only be tested in difficult situations

Odogwu Malay gave up his loyalty when he felt Oba was missing in action and Makanaki was back for revenge. He was not ready to wait or be over taken so he sold his loyalty to Odudu Bariba and betrayed Eniola

On the other hand, Ade Tiger overcame his fears and overlooked Eniola’s shortcomings or the offer Aare and Oudu Bariba placed before him. For him, his loyalty to Oba was more important and that was enough. He grew up around her and she was good to him and his family, his loyalty was beyond material things like a seat at the table.

Sometimes, we stay loyal to people because we expect something in return. First, we want the loyalty to be mutual and then beneficial. We are quick to agree with the adage “Dey for who dey for you”. I can only imagine how the world would be if everyone followed that adage

Dealing with our fears

Even after losing her children and escaping death; Eniola was in control of her fears when she came back to Nigeria. She owned them; we could see that in the beginning when she inflicted pain on herself and in the graveyard scene.

Fears are a part of us and the first step to conquering them is owning them and realising they exist. This way, you take control of it and use it as a tool to win. Remember when her campaign manager’s team said she had a high chance of losing the elections because of her marital status?
Eniola did not let that get to her, she did not accept to be part of a fake marriage just to please people or match stereotype. She reminded them of who she was and what she had to offer. This is an example of not letting validation limit the extent to which we push in life.

Regardless of what people say about you, you are unique and possess so much strength in you. All you need is to push beyond your comfort and go for the things that make you happy. Start that career today, take that trip or make that big move.

King of Boys II was a great movie. Just like every production; it has its flaws. However, it definitely gave us what to ponder on, scenes to talk about and lessons to learn.