No governor has been rooted in grassroots like Jakande, says Osoba

Olusegun Osoba, a former governor of Ogun, says Lateef Jakande granted unlimited access to everyone during his spell as governor of Lagos.

Jakande governed Lagos from 1979 to 1983. He died on February 11, 2021. 

Speaking at the maiden annual memorial lecture titled: ‘Lateef Jakande: The man, his journalism, his politics’, in Lagos, Osoba said Jakande “like a doctor, turned his home into a political clinic where all issues were heard”.

He said Jakande lived a humble life, adding that no other governor has been as rooted in grassroots politics like he was.

“He was a very serious writer and the first black man to head the International Press Institute (IPI). He single-handedly brought IPI to Nigeria,” he said. 

“The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) was the handiwork of Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

“He was a very patient person. If he called a meeting by 10, he was there by quarter to 10 and if you were there two minutes or five minutes late, you were in trouble.

“He was a jack of all trades. He was the writer of the editorial in Tribune. People wanted to buy Tribune because of the editorials written by Jakande.

“He created a political clinic for everybody. Everybody was allowed to visit him in his house, even when he was governor, and he listened to the people. They visited him to discuss any problems they had.

“He interacted with them, without even having an appointment with them. I don’t know of any governor that is rooted in the grassroots like Jakande.”

On his part, Garba Shehu, the former presidency spokesperson, said Jakande maintained a high degree of excellence during his stint as a journalist.

“He maintained a very high degree of the journalism profession. He was a serious minded person and that could be gleaned from his work as a journalist,” he said.

“I have nothing much to add after everything the people on the high table have said. I have come to learn and celebrate the late icon.”