“He Was Not An Ordinary Man” – Obasanjo Mourns Death Of Jakande

More reactions have continued to pour in after the death of former Lagos State Governor, Lateef Jakande who died in the early hours of Thursday, 11th February 2021.

Reacting to the death of Jakande, former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the late politician as beyond an ordinary man, adding that he will be missed.

Obasanjo in a condolence letter on Thursday to the widow of the late politician, Mrs. Abimbola Jakande described her late husband as “a great man, an ardent patriot, a frontline journalist, an astute politician, and reputable administrator, a profile earned over the last five decades.”

Naija News recalls Jakande died in Lagos at the age of 91.

Obasanjo noted in his reaction and condolence letter, wrote: “With a deep sense of loss, I write, on behalf of my family and on my behalf, to sympathise with you over the demise of your beloved husband and patriarch, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, at the age of 91 and I want you to know that we all are also bereaved and we feel the pain of the transition of this great hero and son of Nigeria.”

He added that “at 91, Mr Jakande attained the status of a venerable elder whose death must, by convention and our culture, ordinarily be the occasion of celebration and thanksgiving”.

“But by no measure can he be described as an ordinary man. He was, by all measure, a great man, an ardent patriot, a frontline journalist, an astute politician and reputable administrator, a profile earned over the last five decades.

“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 organisation 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.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Victor Adetiloye, has claimed a 101-year-old woman survived COVID-19.

Naija News reports that Adetiloye disclosed this in a statement to newsmen on Thursday.

According to the CMD, the old woman was first taken to a private hospital in Ile-Ife, Osun State, after she developed cough, fever and breathlessness but was later transferred to OAUTH after she tested positive for COVID-19.