Obasanjo and Jakande

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has explained what he knew about late first civilian governor of Lagos, Alhaji Lateef Jakande in a letter to the deceased’s wife.

Jakande died at the age of 91 on Thursday.

Obasanjo said Jakande served the country principally through journalism and through newspaper management before becoming an active politician.

In his condolence letter to the wife of the late first civilian governor, Alhaja Sikirat Abimbola, copy which was made to newsmen through his Media Assistant, Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta, Obasanjo said Jakande deserved all accolades poured on him over his death.

Obasanjo who went down memory lane on the pen profession of the late governor, stated that his success catapulted him to the height he got to in public office.

According to him: “He served this nation principally through journalism and through newspaper management before becoming an active politician. It must not be forgotten that he served as an Editor-in-Chief of the NIGERIAN TRIBUNE at a stage in his career where he acquitted himself as a positively-minded, focused and imaginative personality.

“Indeed, he steered the company to editorial credibility and profitability and this has remained a reference point in the history of the organization till today. It is with similar verve and energy that he pursued his work at John West Publications which was established by him to publish The Lagos News.

“He was a master of the craft of column-writing. He also helped in the professional re-orientation of the younger generation of journalists in all the media organisations he had found himself.

“He would be remembered as a fine journalist and one that was greatly admired by the general public and his peers as a straight-forward and complete gentleman majorly.”