By Rahman Owokoniran

There’s a whole lot of things that aren’t going on well in our nation due to a lack of strong and stable leadership. Late Alhaji Lateef Jakande was uniquely suited to effectively and steadily guide Lagos State on the right path due to his genuine leadership.

As a great leader, he mastered the style of good mentoring, which invariably impacted on his cabinet positively.

His style of leadership promoted his agenda and plans for Lagos State. Hence, in his four years in office, he was able to achieve what no other governor has been able to match.

As governor, he enjoyed high approval ratings early in his term by appealing to both sides of the political aisle. He was a man on the move.

The administration of Lateef Kayode Jakande as the first civilian governor of Lagos State lingers in the memory of many Nigerians, especially Lagosians who witnessed his period in office. His achievements has remained a benchmark for governance, not only in Lagos, but in Nigeria as a whole.

What, exactly, can be the excuses of our leaders over time, for delivering next to no service to the people in eight years in office each time a new government emerges, if late Lateef Jakande was able to record the landmarks listed below in four years?

Jakande’s achievements

Lateef Jakande was Governor of Lagos State between October 1979 and December 1983. And he did the following:

*His government built the current Lagos State Secretariat, which houses all the state ministries as well as the popular round house occupied by all subsequent governors of the state.

*His government built the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.

*His government built the Lagos State Television

*His government built the Lagos Radio

*His government built Lagos State University, LASU

*His government established General Hospital in zones all over the state with assurance of free health care.

*His government established Teacher Training College and the College of Education.

*His government built low cost houses in Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Amuwo-Odofin, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry, Isheri/Olowu, Orisigun etc.

*His government established the Water Management Board and Waste Disposal Board on August 18, 1980.

*His government constructed the Adiyan Water Works to increase water supply in the state to 18.16 million litres per day.

*His government modernised and expanded the Iju Water Works which was first commissioned in 1915. This increased daily capacity from 159 million to 204 million litres per day.

*His government purchased and commissioned the giant car crusher equipment. The equipment was designed specifically to crush derelict vehicles in Lagos State. It had the capacity to crush 45 vehicles per day.

*His government constructed, rehabilitated and resurfaced Epe/Ijebu-Ode Road, Oba Akran Avenue, Toyin Street, Town Planning Way, Alimosho-Idimu-Egbe Road, Idimu-Iba-LASU Road, the new secretariat road and several others.

*His government constructed Victoria Island/Epe Road and thereby creating an ‘oil rig’ for Lagos State.

*His government established Asphalt Plant for the Department of Public Works.

*His government established Electricity Board for Rural Electrification with provision of street lights.

*His government modernised, expanded and commissioned Onikan Stadium in 1982.

*His government established a singular school system and ensured genuine free education in Lagos State and the beneficiaries of this policy are in different positions of eminence in the country and around the world.

*His government raised the primary schools in Lagos State to 812 with 533,001 pupils (against 605 primary schools with 434,545 pupils he met in 1979) and secondary schools to 223 with 167,629 students (against 105 schools with 107,835 students in 1979).

*His government constructed 11,729 classrooms with the maximum of 40 children per class between March and August 1980, by 1983 he had constructed over 22,000 classrooms.

*In July 1983, two commercial passenger boats christened “Baba Kekere and Itafaji” to run the Mile 2 – Marina (CMS) route via the lagoons were inaugurated by his government to mark the official launch of the Lagos State ferry services.

*His government took over the ownership and financing of Lagos State Printing Corporation in July 1980.

*His government established the first State Traffic Management Authority (Road Marshals).

*His government established small scale Industries Credit Scheme which preceded the EKO bank.

*His government established LASACO Insurance.

*His government expanded existing markets and built new ones.

*His government established the Traditional Medicine Board.

Jakande passed on February 11. But his legacies can never be dwarfed in this era of leadership built on speeches and political demagogue. These leaders sang Jakande’s praise during the burial ceremonies. But none seems to want to follow in his footsteps.

Therefore, Nigerians will continue to search for true leadership and 2023 might just be the time to “shine ya eyes”.

Rahman Owokoniran is the General Secretary, PDP, South-West Zone

Vanguard News Nigeria