TheCable

Lateef Jakande, the first civilian governor of Lagos state, says the cancellation of metro line is a disservice to the Nigerian people.

The father of many firsts, as he is fondly called, made this known while responding to questions from newsmen at the launch of a book, Jakande: Leadership is Action, written in his honour.

Jakande was asked if Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, was responsible for the cancellation of the Lagos metro line, which he initiated in the 1980s.

He said: “It was a great disservice to the people. Whoever advised or made that decision took a very wrong decision.

“Imagine what could have happened if we had metro line; imagine how people would have benefitted immensely and imagine what suffering we are having now because of metro line. I hope and pray that someday, metro line would come to pass.”

In December 2014, Jumoke Akinjide, minister of state for the federal capital territory (FCT), had accused Buhari of truncating the metro line due to his hatred for the southwest.

The APC has since denied the allegation, saying the truncation was not done the former head of state.

While extolling the leadership heroics of Jakande, Bola Olaosebikan, author of the book,  said the book gives an insight to what happened to the metro line, emphasising that it was not cancelled by Buhari.

“Papa Jakande was the first governor in Nigeria to make a N1bn budget; that was in 1983. Papa Jakande was the first governor in Nigeria to build a state secretariat; it is still standing in Alausa. He was also the first governor in Nigeria and in Africa to think of a metro line transport system.

“In this book, you would hear the truth of how metro line was aborted. It was not aborted by General Buhari; it was the military; it was aborted by other forces. There is authoritative information about how metro line was sabotaged.

“He was the first governor to stop the three-shift system of education in Nigerian 1979.”

Niyi Adebayo, former governor of Ekiti state, who represented Buhari, said the APC presidential candidate was unavoidably absent. He explained that Buhari really wanted to attend, to clear the air about his government and the truncation of democracy in 1983.

Rotimi Amaechi, chief launcher of the event, who was represented by Rotimi Akeredolu, erstwhile president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said the battle for the presidency had become personal.

“Amaechi, all of us know, has taken this battle as personal, and is prosecuting it with all he has, all the arsenal, and by his grace, we would be successful,” Akeredolu said.

Mobolaji Johnson, the first governor of Lagos state; Bola Tinubu, the APC national leader; and Jakande, were all awarded life time achievement awards by the publisher of healthcare magazine and author of the book.