Head, News Desk, VICTOR EBIMOMI, reports on the honour accorded former Lagos State Governor, LATEEF JAKANDE, as he clocked 85 last Wednesday
He bestrode the journalism world like a colossus during his active years. In his foray into politics, he carved a niche for himself as a pathfinder in the service of the electorate; in the process, earning for himself the sobriquet of a peoples’ governor.
L-R: SA to Amosun, Adeniyi Adesanya; Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; ex-Governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande; his wife, Abimbola; and Ogun State Comissioner for Information, Yusuph Olaniyonu during the event
Alhaji (Dr.) Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ) can in sum be described as an enigma of sorts. Any wonder then, when he turned 85 years on Wednesday, it was accolade galore not only by people he had touched their lives directly, but also from those that had received inspiration from his sterling lifestyle.
Members of his first constituency, journalism, even went a step further by presenting a book in his honour. The befitting honour was made by members of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). The book speaks volume in his rare feats. It is entitled, Jakande: Fountain of Excellence. At the Darlington Hall venue in Ilupeju, Lagos, where the event took place, it was a mixture of colour, style, royalty and reverence for the man who many of the speakers repeatedly referred to as ‘Baba’ (father).
Chairman of the occasion, Segun Osoba, former Ogun State governor, reeled out the achievements of the celebrant, describing him as a workaholic in his days as a journalist and governor.
“In the history of journalism, Jakande is one of the greatest legends of our time,” Osoba, equally a journalism veteran who worked under Jakande, said.
He noted that apart from rising from a humble beginning to the zenith of the profession as Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief and later Chairman of the of the Board of Tribune Newspapers, Jakande was the first and only African president of International Press Institute (IPI) with headquarters in Geneva among other professional rarities. Any wonder that the main building of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, which was established by IPI, was named after the Baba Kekere (little father) – a sobriquet Jakande got for having Pa Obafemi Awolowo as mentor.
Osoba further noted that as a governor of Lagos State between 1979 and 1983, Jakande, apart from standing taller among his contemporaries in performance, was equally open to the electorate and had a listening ear.
“He was the most accessible governor I have ever seen in my life,” said Osoba, who said he had to fly in from Abuja to attend the event by all means.
He added that he was happy “to see Jakande clock 85”, despite that the old man threw in everything in his life endeavours, stressing: “If there is anyone who works so hard in life for people, it is Jakande.”
Lagos State Governor, Bababatunde Fashola, noted that Jakande as the first civilian governor of the state brought excellence to the state.
The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, affirmed that Jakande “provided a well-structured system” that the state now builds on.
“Jakande has done a lot for Lagos,” he added.
On his part, the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, poured encomiums on Jakande while taking a swipe at what he viewed as denying the man his deserved respect by some who were supposed to know better.
“Baba has done more for us in Lagos than anybody I can think of… What he did for us in Lagos and Nigeria, we are waiting for someone to beat the record. For just four years and three months, Baba touched education more than what anybody had done, with public schools in Ikoyi, Ikeja, and other choice parts of Lagos. Which government can do that now, even to build a public school in Ikeja? This man also gave so many health centres and general hospitals. How visionary can a man be? I did not know what would have happened to Lagos if Baba Jakande did not build low-cost housing estates across the state. Baba is a pathfinder; he is an enigma,” he said.
Ikuforiji, however, lamented that one of the problems in Nigeria is the culture of not appreciating achievers like Jakande.
“How many people who ruled after him have been able to sustain what he did in four years and three months?” he asked.
He commended the Lagos NUJ for showing respect and appreciation for what Jakande has done, just as he expressed happiness for his long life.
Lagos NUJ chairman, Deji Elumoye, said the celebrant has contributed so much to the society that the union deemed it fit to write his name in gold.
“The book is the contribution of Lagos NUJ to recognise the journalism icon,” he said.
National President of NUJ, Garba Mohammed, who was represented by Dele Adunbi, the Vice President of NUJ (Zone B), stated that Jakande would always be held in high esteem by the journalism world and will always be remembered for his outstanding achievements as governor of Lagos.
“He is the best Lagos State governor because of what he did during his time,” he added.
Other speakers poured sweet effusions on the octogenarian to the admiration of the young generation in the hall.
During Jakande’s tenure in the Second Republic, he was rated among the good governors of his time. For his feat, he was nicknamed ‘Action Governor’, an appellation which every governor after him had sought to earn.