Ex-Lagos Governor, Lateef Jakande Dies At 91

Lateef Kayode Jakande, The first civilian governor of Lagos State is dead.
The second Republic political colossus, who was referred to as Baba Kekere, due to his astute political discharge and vision that many had thought was like Awo’s gave up the ghost early on Thursday at the ripe age of 91.
He was one of the LOOBO State governors who blazed the trail of good governance between 1979 and 1983 when the South West of Nigeria witnessed free education at all levels. LOOBO is an acronym for Lagos, Oyo, Ogun Bendel, and Ondo States.

Jakande brought a lot of progress and development to Lagos as the governor in the second republic, between October 1, 1979, and December 31, 1983. He was a strong force in carrying out of UPN’s five cardinal programmes as initiated and founded by sage former Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Lateef Jakande was a formidable worker under the effective administrative structure of the Unity Party of Nigeria, a party that carried the ideals of social welfare democracy, an ideology that powered the popularity of the then (UPN). then the leading opposition party during the Second Republic.

Jakande’s presence at the party gave Lagosians the hope that another formidable Yoruba Nation leader would emerge in Jakande that many thought he would emerge as Papa Obafemi Awolowo’s successor after retirement or after given up the ghost. Jakande was so popular and his successful political discharge in Lagos and his imposing personality then had pegged him as the main successor to Papa AWO, and then being seen as Awo’s second political lieutenant. The stance then earned him the acronym of ‘Baba Kekere’, literarily meaning the younger Awo, as his political dexterity and diplomacy and astuteness made many think he would be Awolowo’s successor.
Alas!, an overzealous political adventure and flirtation with the Military were later to twist the hope and expectations as the dream of such an expected successor to Awolowo was never to be realized.
When Jakande was the governor of Lagos State, the four-cardinal program of the then Unity Party of Nigeria(UPN) were carried out and the legacies of freed education, free medical services, low-cost housing, and infrastructural revolution and development were never to be equaled till date in Nigeria’s annals of political discharge of promises and meeting of voters expectations.

UPN programs as promised were carried out to the envy of many other political party governors across the nation. The successful discharge of UPN four cardinal programs made the five UPN states as model states nationally that other governors such as Governors Sam Mbakwe of Imo state, Jim Nwobodo of Anambra, Abubarkar Rimi of Kano, Balarabe Musa of Kaduna, governors Gumi of Gombe all queued up behind the UPN super governors and formed a progressive alliance, as those governors outside of SouthWestern region saw the LOOBO States as model states and wanted a copy-discharge of their successful program. The dream of taking the Western Nigeria progress stride was later terminated by the current incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, then a Military man, who toppled the Second Republic government of Shehu Usman Shagari.

The Great Betrayal