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Former Lagos Commissioner, Dr. Lekan Pitan wants to be the next governor of Lagos, if his party picks him to run. And he is dead serious about it. For those who don’t know him quite well, lets quickly tell you about this former Commissioner under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Lagos State. At that time, he was one of the shining stars in the administration, based on all the popular grassroot health initiatives he introduced from the Jigi Bola (the eye glasses) scheme to the Lagos Ambulance Scheme. His assignment as Health and Education Commissioner at various times in the cabinet provided him the opportunity to interact with the grassroot from all the wards across the state.
Since he left office, he has continued to provide one health support or the other to the masses of the people in Lagos State. He has also got the Lagos APC to introduce many health schemes to improve the lives of those at the grassroots, in all the wards and local governments across Lagos. The big news is that his dynamic medical doctor is seriously in the race for Lagos governorship, on the APC platform and he has in fact, been busy over the last few months going round the various wards and local governments to spread the word. A few weeks back, he declared his interest in vying for Lagos governorship, come 2015 and he again told City People last week that he was serious about his intention.
He first made the declaration a few weeks back during which he revealed that he joined the race because his party would need a candidate Lagosians are familiar with and could trust for the party to emerge victorious in 2015 elections. “As progressives, we have promised the people social service. My coming into the race is to keep the tempo of providing social services for the people, the foundation of which some of us worked with Asiwaju Tinubu to lay in 1999 and which the incumbent Governor Babatunde Fashola has creditably built on”, he stressed.
According to him, the leadership of his party is conscious of the fact that it must present to the people an acceptable candidate, particularly somebody like him who they have had an encounter with in the past, through some of the people-oriented programmes he implemented while in office. He cited some of the laudable programmes he initiated in the Education and Health sectors where he served under Tinubu to include: the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) meant to save accident victims and give them medical attention right from the scene of the accident to the hospital; creation of the first Health Service Commission in Nigeria; creation of the first HIV/AIDS Control Agency in Nigeria; creation of Blood Transfusion Screening Centres with the first enabling blood transfusion law in Nigeria; mass free health schemes such as, the Blindness Prevention Programme; Free Corneal (Eye) Transplant Programme; open Heart Surgery Programme; Free School Milk Programme for school children; Creation of 25 technical and vocational training centers as annexes to the technical college all over the state and the Creation of 29 inclusive education schools all over the state for handicapped children among others.
He emphasised that the core programme in the manifesto of his party is provision of social service to the people, which he assured Lagosians would get more if chosen by his party and voted for by the people.Pitan who is currently the Special Advisor for Africa, International Hospital Federation, IHF promised the people to bring to bear his experiences both in his professional endeavours and political exploits which dates back to the Second Republic, in making the state a more conducive clime. While reacting to the position of the party leadership which favours a Christian from Lagos East senatorial zone, the former Commissioner said all that works in his favour since he is a Christian from the area. “I was born into a christian family of Late Snr Evang. David Ibikunle Pitan and Madam Solabomi Ojuolape Pitan in Agbowa – Ikosi LCDA in Epe local council area of Lagos East Senatorial District.”
“I have worked and served in various capacities. I am a member of the Forum on evidence-based health policy-making of the Nigerian Academy of Science. I am Chairman of the Project Advisory Committee of the Ford Foundation’s Health Journalists’ Immersion programme on Maternal, Child and New born Health and an Executive Director of Pitman-UK training Centre in Nigeria. “I was the Commissioner for Education between April 2006 and June 2007. I was also the Commissioner for Health between June 1999 and March 2006. Before then, I was Chief Medical Director of the Mayowa Hospital here in Lagos. I was elected Governing Council member for Nigeria, the first African at the IHF 34th World Hospital Congress held in Nice, France, in 2005, for a six-year (2005-2011) term of office.
“During this period, I was elected Treasurer for two consecutive terms (2007-2009 & 2009-2011). I am also a member of the IHF Executive and Audit and Finance Committees,” he said while also defending his credentials as a thoroughbred technocrat and an experienced politician. Truly, Lekan Pitan has an interesting story to tell. It is the story of the son of a politician turned medical doctor-turned-politician and now a grassroots mobilizer who spends his days and nights mingling with the masses of the people and bringing succor to their health needs.
Born on January 14th, 1956, he is a Lagosian to the core, as his father, grandfather and great grandfather are all from Lagos State, Nigeria. He had his primary school education at the Lagos Island Local Government Primary School (Okesuna, Lagos, Nigeria) between 1964 and 1970. He attended Igbobi College (Yaba, Lagos) for his secondary school education between 1971 and 1975. He also attended Kings’ College, Lagos between 1976 and 1977. He then proceeded to study Medicine at University of Ibadan (Oyo State, Nigeria) between 1977 and 1982 where he got his MBBS with distinction in Anatomy. He had his Masters in Public Health in 2006 from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.He has served in various capacities as a member of many global initiatives. For 2 hours last Thursday, he spoke to City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE about his activities, plans and how his pedigree prepared him for the present challenges he is faced with.
You are a medical doctor and a politician. At what point did you go into politics?
I didn’t go into politics. I was born into it. My father was a Councilor almost 4 times. Twice in Epe division at Agbowa, Ikosi and 2 or 3 times in Lagos Island, under Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu as Chairman. My father was a Councilor during that time. They built the City Hall. And also under Prince Tajuden Olusi. He later became Ward Chairman of the largest ward on Lagos Island. You know what that means? I was always attending ward meetings as a small boy. So, I grew up learning because the environment was a political environment. Then, I will carry poster along with him or his supporters I will go out with them to go and stick posters. At that time, the posters had to do with Action Group (Olope, the Palm). And I had to register and record names of people, their names and house address. So I was born into it.
When you look at that learning curve, at that same time I was also attending school. I attended NCC Primary School, Okesuna in my father’s ward as a councilor. At that time, I also got exposed to market women. In fact, my father created Sura Market for yam sellers before it now became Sura for General Market. From NCC Primary School, I went to Igbobi College, Yaba and Kings College, Lagos. Those were about the best of the best among the best schools in Nigeria. I then attended University of Ibadan College of Medicine, the medical school. That is the Premier University and Medical School in Nigeria. So, I got the best.
That I was born into politics and groomed and having exposure did not stop me from acquiring professional medical knowledge in the best places or attending the best schools. In all those places I sat for entrance exams and passed very well and got taken. At Igbobi College, you had to go for a 3 day interview in the school for you to be taken.
After passing written exams, competitive written exams, you will be selected and you will go and sleep in the school for 3 days. Then they will grill you and screen you. The same thing happened at Kings College. I came out with distinctions in school cert, with distinctions in many subjects. In some subjects at A Levels, with distinctions in Medical School, the equivalent of 1st Class. My certificate is there MBBS with Distinction. That is the first class of medical education. After that I did Masters in Public Health at LASU. I did another course in Management. I also have a certificate from the UK in Human Resource Management. The point is that when you look at that mix, it tells the whole story in terms of politics which as I said is the art of Human Management, Medicine which is treating the human content to make sure he is alive and well.
Politics is managing him to get the best for him and from him and to get the best by the society for that person through government and to get the best out of that person for the society. That is what I was taught. So, don’t ask the question, when did I go into politics? No. I didn’t come into politics as a professional doctor. I started being a politician before I ever became a doctor. It is instructive to note that being a politician did not stop me from being a professional and attending the best schools.
In the course of my professional career, as a student, I was the national President of NULASS – National Union of Lagos State Students during the time of Alhaji Lateef Jakande and we used to hold Parliamentary meetings along with politicians in his house. The Iya Olojas will be there, students, party leaders, and commissioners will be there. That is an insight into the type of politics and governance I had been exposed to from my roots.
After that we got involved in Afenifere and there were 10 leaders elected to represent Lagos State at Owo, I am proud to say I was part of the 10 though the youngest. The leaders felt my arrangement you are doing that you don’t involve the youth is likely to die. That has helped a lot. So, I came out through the grill of Action Group, UPN, Afenifere, I was heavily involved in SDP during the Agbalajobi and Sarumi period. Then, we did AD and got into government. What got us into government was our programme of Free Health, Free Education, Employment generation, as well as Rural and Urban integrated development. So I was saddled with implementing health it. We did Free Health for the vulnen and other people who are poor, indigents. I did that. That was what made me bring up this idea of Jigibola that I created. I brought in my knowledge of Medicine and with where I was coming from and with my knowledge of the grassroots; I modified and created medicine to suit the grassroots, without losing its value or quality. We also did open Heart Surgery; Cornea Eye Transplant which meant you would take Cornea from a dead man and give to someone living and he would see.
We did all those things then. We are the only ones who did that in the entire country. Those were glorious days. People who had POLIO or awkward legs got treatment, so also limb deformity treatment. I brought in Limb Deformity Corrective Surgery programme which we made them to be able to stand again and be able to walk and attain their economic. I even ensured that various local governments with the support of Asiwaju Tinubu, the governor at the time and my colleagues in the cabinet, we introduced all these programmes, converted local government headquarters to general hospitals till today, like Mushin, Ifako Ijaiye, Shomolu, Ibeju Lekki, Alimosho and Igando, we created general hospitals there with the support of my colleagues and the governor.
Island Maternity I recollect had been closed and shut down for 10 years before we came in. With the support of my colleagues and the Governor, Asiwaju we reopened it. We put personnel, renovated and so on. We gave life back to Island Maternity. And started its function of saving lives and children. I recollect that Ikeja General Hospital then was just a shade better than a district hospital, just a few bungalows here and there. With the support of the Governor and I was able to turn things around. We built more buildings that now turned into the mega hospital it is now. We also put into practice a lot of PPP policies and so on. We even created Eye Bank, it is still there, the only one in Nigeria, created Health Survive Commission, through Health sector reform, I also created the LASA Bus, Lagos State Ambulance Service, to put them on the roads with the Emergency call 123. We did so many things like that.
Later I was removed to Education. I recollect that we introduced milk for primary school children, which is still on. Challenged children and those with poor sight or those who are deaf and dumb or those who had physical deformities, didn’t have where to go. The only place they had was at Parcelli School for the Blind in Surulere, Wesley School for the Deaf, very few plans.
Meanwhile, people in Badagry, in Epe, Agbuwea, Ibeju-Lekki and so on, even Agege didn’t have where to go. In one year, with the approval and support of the governor, and my colleagues in the cabinet we created 29 inclusive education centres where the handicap children could attend free of charge. Guess what? I set up an Advocacy Team that went round all the local government seeing the Baales, the Iyalojas, the Obas, to sensitize them that now if you have a school in your neighbourhood, that you can send the handicap children too. Literally, we gave hope to the hopeless because in the past, such children were kept at home by their parents, because there was simply no way a mother will bring a child from Badagry to Surulere. Certainly, not on a daily basis.
Those schools still remain till today, waxing stronger. One thing I must add is the inclusive nature of that policy, that the challenged children and the able bodied children will school in the same school and grow up to become old boys of the same school. So this time around when our party came up with social welfare manifesto, someone in the party came to me and said they wanted a round peg in a round hole. They wanted me to do it, they felt it is better to offer the public someone who had done it before dearly, who has imparted on them, and the people had got used to and had known very well. It will be easier to sell to the public. It will generate confidence in the populace and it will create a win-win situation for everybody I have been going round local governments to meet the party hierarchy and members at their place of abode in their LG to talk to them and I brought the medical mission as well to help the party to treat the populace and boost the morale of party members and rank and file.
2015 is around the corner, what is your plan, because your name keeps popping up as one of the top contenders for the job?
We are going through the normal process of going through primaries and then next is the General elections. I am a grassroots politician. So I believe more in going to the grassroots to meet the people. It is something I have been used. Political electioneering goes beyond holding rallies among party members alone. It is good. We need to do House to House. I am a believer in that. I believe you need to empower the party stalwarts to do house to house campaign.
If you are sure of your products, by ensuring that your best product is what you present, house to house becomes something enjoyable even to your party members. The people will tell you your result that day by saying yes he is credible. If it is the other way also you have got your result that day. It reduces the tension and stress of electioneering; we are getting closer to that. As for governance I want to ensure Human Capital Development. It is on the front burner. We are making a paradigm shift in government financing where we focus more on Human Capital Development, ….. resources and prorate the remaining to service the Brick and muter stuff, what they call the Hard Informative.
Have you told the party of your plans to contest?
Oh yes! I have gone round almost the local governments. I have met the party executives. Oh yes. I can tell you that. I have gone round 17 local governments out of the old 20 local governments. That involved some of the LCDA’s around then. I have only 3 more to go.
As you go around what has been the response?
The people are happy and excited. And appreciative of what one has done in the past, and what one has been doing now. So they are able to believe easily that Leke Pitan is real, ands one’s promises to them of what one will do in future because to them, they have tasted it before and there is nowhere, that there was any controversy about my promises. They are sure considering the fact that they are used to me. They know I am also from Lagos State, my parents, myself, my grandparents, my great grandparents are all from Lagos State, specifically from Agbowa Ikosi, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.
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