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| The late Lateef Jakande |
Sinatu Ojikutu, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, has proposed renaming Lagos State University (LASU) after Lateef Jakande, the esteemed ex-governor of Lagos.
Jakande led Lagos from 1979 to 1983 and later served as Minister of Works during the Sani Abacha regime.
Speaking July 23, 2025 at Jakande’s annual memorial lecture, organized by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Ojikutu emphasized that Jakande’s transformative impact on Lagosians deserves lasting recognition through the university’s renaming.
She highlighted his inclusive leadership style, where everyone, regardless of wealth or status, had equal access to him, a trait that often challenged the elite.
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by his Chief of Staff Aminu Hassan Gemawa, delivered the keynote address themed “Journalism and the Challenge of Nation-Building in a Multi-Ethnic Society.”
Mohammed praised Jakande as a leader guided by journalistic values of honesty, simplicity, accessibility, and efficiency, saying, “Jakande governed with the pen still in his heart, even if not in his hand.”
Reflecting on Jakande’s service under the Abacha administration, Mohammed noted it demonstrated his commitment to Nigeria’s unity.
Sharing his own experience from 2010, when he faced criticism for supporting the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’ that ushered in the Goodluck Jonathan government, he urged patience and understanding in nation-building efforts.
He called on the media to promote national unity beyond ethnic, religious, and regional divides.
Prof. Lai Olorede, chairman of the event, remarked that Jakande was a unifying figure who transcended Nigeria’s ethnic politics. “When Alhaji Jakande was governor, he never asked anyone, ‘Where are you from?’ His focus was on serving the public impartially, irrespective of religion or ethnicity,” he said.
The call to rename LASU aims to immortalize Jakande’s legacy as a visionary leader who prioritized inclusiveness, unity, and progress for Lagos and Nigeria at large.
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