Tributes As Lagos Govt Celebrates First Governor, Lateef Jakande

The Lagos State Government is still celebrating the life and times of its first governor, Lateef Jakande. It is holding a day of tributes for the late elder statesman.

Dignitaries present at the event include the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Femi Hamzat and the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Folashade Jaji. The event is holding at the Onikan Stadium.

Jakande died on February 11 at the age of 91 and was the first civilian governor of Lagos State. He served from October 1, 1979, to December 31, 1983.

He became governor under the platform of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) founded by a former Premier of the Western Region, Obafemi Awolowo.

Fondly called Baba Kekere, he died in the early hours of Thursday at the age of 91.

Jakande made impacts in the areas of housing, education, health, and rural development.

One of his popular achievements is the development of low-cost housing estates in various parts of Lagos State.

He was responsible for the introduction of housing and educational programs, which focused on building new primary and secondary schools in the neighbourhood and ensuring free education at the primary and secondary school level.

As a journalist, he first worked with the Daily Service and then in 1953, joined the Nigerian Tribune where he rose to become the Editor-in-Chief. He left Tribune in 1975 and established John West Publications on whose platform he published The Lagos News.