Cancelling metroline, a major mistake – Jakande

 The first civilian governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, on Tuesday, said that the cancellation of the Lagos metroline project in 1985 was a major mistake and disservice to many Nigerians. Jakande spoke in Lagos during the launch of a book which chronicled his life in politics and journalism.

 The book, entitled, ‘Jakande: Leadership in Action’ is written by Dr. Bola Olaosebikan, who told the audience at the event that the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was not responsible for the cancellation of the project. Jakande said, “Reflecting on the metroline project, I think it is a major disservice to many Nigerians. Imagine how many people would have benefitted. It would have made life easier and changed the face of transport in Lagos. Whoever cancelled it or gave the advice towards its cancellation didn’t do right.”

The former governor asked Nigerians not to vote for unserious leaders in the coming polls, saying the elections presented Nigerians with a good opportunity that should not be squandered. Expressing the hope that Nigeria would soon overcome its developmental challenges, Jakande said hope would be actualised faster if credible people emerged as leaders in the next dispensation.

 He said, “This book comes at a very auspicious time in Nigeria’s history as we need leaders who can act. We need leaders who would not compromise the standards of good governance. God has blessed this nation the most in Africa, although we have not reached where we should be; with the right leaders, Nigeria would overcome its challenges.”

 The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, in his remarks at the event said that the Rivers State Government had been facing a decline in support from the Federal Government owing to the political differences between him and President Goodluck Jonathan. Amaechi, who was represented at the occasion by a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), wondered why Jonathan would chose to make the state suffer, despite his campaign of transformation. He said recent documentaries against a national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu , would not affect the performance of the party at the polls, urging those peddling lies about the APC to desist from it. The first Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen. Mobolaji Johnson (retd.) commended the leadership legacies of Jakande, saying he laid a solid foundation for development in Lagos State.

The author of the book, Olaosebikan, said he was motivated to write about Jakande in 1994 after he met the former governor. He said that his findings as recorded in the book showed that Buhari did not abort the metroline project as being claimed but that ‘certain forces’ terminated the project.

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Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.