By Abdulrasheed Ibrahim, LL.M, Notary Public
Before the demise of Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ) on 11th February 2021, I had on several occasions paid glowing tributes to the late first executive Governor of Lagos State during the Second Republic. Though not privileged to have met him one on one but having read a lot about him and seen physically on the ground most of what he had achieved while in government, to me LKJ was an epitome of good leadership for any institution or society. As a lawyer, when I became disturbed about the unnecessary qualifications often put forward for people aspiring to occupy positions of leadership in most organizations particularly those that relate to electoral system, I expressed the view that emphasis should be placed on the ability, competency and vision of those aspiring rather than mere paper qualifications.
In an article published on this platform on 31st May 2020 titled: MY GRUDGE WITH NBA POLITICS, I wrote as follows :
“…Another problem with the political thinking and thought in this country is the unnncessary emphasis often lay on the wrong notion that only people with previous experience in certain things or with chain of university degrees that can perform better in position of leadership. There are glaring examples that have made mess of such notion and I will cite only one example here for the sake of space. Prior to the 1979 General Elections in this country, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), one of the political parties then under the leadership of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo (SAN) was deeply involved in that elections aimed at returning the country to the civilian rule. In Lagos State, some prominent Nigerian politicians came out to vie for the position of the Governor but Awolowo was able to persuade other politicians in his party to step down for Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande who eventually won the race. Within the period of four years he spent in office as Governor of Lagos State, Jakande tremendiously transformed the State for those that have eyes to see then. During his reign within that period, he established the Lagos State Television (LTV) and the Lagos State University at Ojo, the first ever State University in Nigeria. He built several Housing Estates in different parts of Lagos State which people today referred to as “Jakande Estates” or “Ile Jakande”. He built several schools and hospitals apart from the massive Secretariat he built at Alausa, Ikeja which now housed the Lagos State Government offices. Since the man left office, I have been looking for another Governor throughout the federation who has been able to beat that record in four years, but yet to see one, even among the so-called second termer Governors that spent eight years in offices.
“Some people may ask, what is or was so special about Jakande, a former Governor of Lagos State? Unlike most of our political leaders today that go about with the titles of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Professors and holders of many Doctorate degrees occupying various positions as Governors, Senators, Ministers, Special Advisers among others, Jakande is or was not known to be a holder of any University degree. He was (is) a journalist that probably rose to the position of Managing Director of a Newspaper company before becoming the first Executive Governor of Lagos State.With this single example, I think we can all honestly spot the difference between the holders of the University degrees and a non- holder of a University degree.When in power, Jakande was a visionary and purposeful leader…”
LKJ was one of the very few politicians in this country that knew what they were going into government to do when they were going about seeking for the mandate of the people to be elected. After being elected as Governor in 1979, he on 9th December same year went to the Lagos State House of Assembly to address the lawmakers as follows:
“…We came into office with a clear and indisputable mandate to govern our people and serve them to the best of our ability. With a total of 559,070 votes as against 67,594 by our nearest opponent ,the good people of Lagos State gave us their trust and confidence … We have come to change the emphasis of governance from the extension and protection of the interests of privileged persons to that of caring for the welfare and the greatest good of the greatest number of our people .And if this change is to be meaningful ,it had to start from our first day in office. In these circumstances, this Administration decided to take the bull by the horn and to change the budget…”
His achievements within that period of four years still remain indelible in the minds of the people of Lagos State. LKJ was an unusual Nigerian politician and leader who lived life of simplicity while in government by living in his personal residence built by himself before going into the government to serve.He also rode in his ordinary personal car in the cause of discharging his official duties as the Governor of Lagos State. Unlike most Nigerian politicians and leaders, he made his children to attend public schools in Nigeria without sending them abroad to receive foreign education. He never acquired properties for himself.Where in this country today,do you still have this kinds of life style among our politicians in government whether at local, state or federal level? Jakande was a governor that believed in action rather than rhetoric which he demonstrated abundantly .In the foreword to the book titled: “The Action Years” containing selected speeches of LKJ published in 1985, Professor Akinlawon Ladipupo Mabogunje said:
“…These speeches recall to mind the picture of a resolute, indefatigable and decisive Nigerian who believes that leadership is a call to selfless service and whose unparalleled achievements in those brief four years have earned him the justifiable epithet of the ‘Action Man’ ”
It is those resolute and indefatigable qualities that have been missing among most of our politicians in government for a very long time now that is making our country not to be progressive and well developed.The problems of Boko haram , kidnapping , banditry ,armed robbery and other similar crimes continue till date because most of the leaders we have been having since the collapse of the first republic are either vision less or do not know what good governance is all about. A retired Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) once related a story of how Sir Ahmad Bello ,Sardauna of Sokoto as the Premier of the old Northern Region refunded to their parents the school fees already collected by those in government.They (students) were allowed to be going to schools without payment of the school fees.If that system had been allowed to continue by the successive governments and the education was made compulsory for every child whether male or female in all parts of the country ,we would not be complaining of the transgression of those involved in Boko haram, kidnapping,banditry, armed robbery or other crimes as we are doing today? If people had been properly educated and jobs provided, I strongly believe they will not have time perpetrating all sorts of crimes as they have been doing in recent time. The words of Chief Obafemi Awolowo who introduced free education in the old Western Region now seem coming to past that the children of the poor you refused to educate would not allow you to have rest of minds.
But what do we still have in vogue today? We have had leaders in this country who rather than bettering our public schools preferred building private universities for themselves. We have leaders in government who believe that proliferating private universities is the best solution to our tertiary education while they allow the students and their lecturers in public universities to remain at home perpetually. Many wealthy Nigerians and organisations today believe in the establishment of private universities to charge exorbitant fees beyond the reach of the poor parents. A nation that really wants development cannot close the gate of educational institutions against the children of the less privileged. Some wealthy Nigerians are more interested in establishing private schools than establishing industries that will provide jobs at the end of the day. The shortage of the likes of Jakande in our politics has continued to put the less privileged at the receiving end.
The other day I read on a law whatsapp group while LKJ was still alive that the authorities of the Lagos State University (LASU) named a particular road within the university after LKJ and I contended that it was better to name the entire university after him than a mere road because if not for his brilliant initiative probably that institution might not have been. A colleague whom I believed was a product of LASU did not like the idea of naming the university after him. Perhaps, that lawyer would prefer his alma mater to remain LASU than being changed to LAJU (Lateef Jakande University). There are some Akokites who argued that when an attempt was made to name their alma mater (University of Lagos ) after M.K.O. Abiola, they vigorously resisted that move. But my counter- argument was that the attempt was a misplacement of priority by those that wanted to make the change because the idea of establishing the UNILAG was not conceived by MKO unlike LKJ that conceived and established LASU. I continue to wonder why some people including my learned friend are afraid of LASU being named after Lateef Jakande. LKJ may not be a university graduate but he conceived the idea of establishing one in Lagos State during his reign. How many university graduates, including Ph. D holders, Professors, SANs in government till date have beaten the records of LKJ? If Americans could name their capital city after George Washington, why are some people afraid of LASU being named after LKJ?
I often hear an argument that for once never appeal to me. The argument is that the military intervention in Nigerian politics on 31st December 1983 truncated the metro line project being planned by Lateef Jakande for the Lagos State. My contention has always been that, was LKJ not succeeded by chains of Governors both military and civilian? Did or do those successors lack the vision to carry on or revive the brilliant project? The fact of the matter is that we live in a country where most successors do not believe in the good projects left behind by their predecessors as such projects no matter how brilliant they are always abandoned by the successors. One of the problems in government today is that there is no continuity as most successors do not believe in building on the legacies of their predecessors. In his tribute and commenting on the attitude of LKJ to what he met on the ground, Professor Wale Adebanwi of University of Oxford, United Kingdom said:
“Putting all the children of school age in Lagos into school while ending fee-based schooling in all schools within short period was a massive endeavour. It involved the government take- over of all existing schools including mission schools, and also the establishment of many more schools to accommodate the explosion in school enrolment. By the end of his time in office, Jakande’s administration increased the number of primary schools from 605 in 1979 to 812 and public secondary schools from 105 to 223. Enrolment in both primary and secondary schools rose from around 435,000 to 533,000 and from 108,000 to 168,000,respectively. Within just six months in 1980,the administration built 11, 729 classrooms, adding also 10,000 more by the time he left office. The urgent and massive need for the construction of new classrooms forced Jakande to take a pragmatic approach. His administration built a particular kind of new schools or added new classrooms to existing ones..”
If the succeeding Governors whether military or civilian in different parts of the country have been doing this kind of things, what would have been the level of education in Nigeria today ? The above illustration was what made LKJ a unique and exemplary leader. But the leaders we have in different part of the country today are those that believe in rhetoric rather than action. They prefer flambouyance to simplicity. They are churning out on daily basis useless and unguided statements that question the intellect of the type of leaders we have been having in different parts of the country.
LKJ as a journalist before his venturing into politics was equally an exemplary leader for the people in the pen profession on how things should be properly done in that profession. As one of those that went to jail with Chief Obafemi Awolowo after being tried and convicted for an alleged treasonable felony in the early sixties, he wrote in the preface to his book : “The Trial of Obafemi Awolowo”, published in 1966 as follows:
“As the thirteenth accused at the trial, one faces the obvious temptation to be partial. How far I have resisted this temptation is for the reader to judge. For my part, I have endeavoured to present, as fairly as possible to both sides, and as fully as space permits, a true and accurate account of the proceedings.”
With the departure of this great and exemplary leader as well as a patriotic Nigerian from the world to the great beyond, I pray the Almighty Allah to accept him and bless his soul.May the country be blessed with more politicians like LKJ that will serve the nation selflessly!
NOTE: Anyone is at liberty to disagree with my above submissions as I will surely appreciate a balanced, fair and objective rebuttal.
08055476823, 08164683735: abdulrasheedibrahim362@gmail.com
28th February 2021
