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BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE

Lateef Kayode Jakande

Lateef Kayode Jakande (July 23, 1929 – February 11, 2021) was a Nigerian journalist who became governor of Lagos State in Nigeria from 1979 to 1983, and later Minister of Works under the Sani Abacha military regime (1993–98). He died on February 11, 2021, aged 91 years.

Lateef Kayode Jakande was born in the Epetedo area of Lagos Island, Lagos State on July 29, 1929. Both parents are from Omu-Aran, Kwara State. He studied at the Lagos public school at Enu-Owa, Lagos Island, then at Bunham Memorial Methodist School, Port Harcourt (1934–43). He studied at King’s College, Lagos in 1943, and then enrolled at Ilesha Grammar School in 1945, where he edited a literary paper called The Quarterly Mirror.

In 1949, Jakande began a career in journalism first with the Daily Service and then in 1953 joining the Nigerian Tribune. In 1956 he was appointed editor-in-chief of the Tribune by the owner Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

LKJ AS GOVERNOR OF LAGOS SATE

Encouraged by Awolowo, he ran for election as executive governor of Lagos State in 1979, on the Unity Party of Nigeria platform.[3] He defeated his opponents, Adeniran Ogunsanya of Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) and Sultan Ladega Adeniji Adele of National Party of Nigeria with a total of 559,070 votes and was subsequently sworn in as governor.[4] His administration was effective and open and implemented the cardinal policies of his party.

He introduced housing and educational programs targeting the poor, building new neighbourhood primary and secondary schools and providing free primary and secondary education.

He gave poor people’s children education and many of them are now very prominent in the society today. He established the Lagos State University and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos’ house is named after the former governor. Jakande’s government constructed over 30,000 housing units. The schools and housing units were built.[1] Some of the housing units include low cost estates at Amuwo-Odofin, Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry.[5] To fund some of the projects, Jakande increased the tenement rates and price of plots of land in affluent areas of Victoria Island and Lekki Peninsula and the processing fees for lottery, pools and gaming licenses. He also completed the construction of the General Hospital in Gbagada and Ikorodu and built about 20 health centres within the state. As a governor, he established 23 local government councils which were later disbanded by the military.

He also started a metroline project to facilitate mass transit. The project was halted and his tenure as Governor ended when the military seized power on 31 December 1983.