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Hon. SEYI JAKANDE, ODI-OLOWO OJUWOYE LCDA Boss
There is palpable joy amongst the residents of Odi -Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA right now. And the euphoria has been in the air around the community since the inauguration and swearing-in of the newly elected Executive Chairman of the LCDA, Hon. Seyi Jakande. And the reasons for their excitement are not far-fetched.
Hon. Seyi Jakande was part of the previous administration headed by Hon. Rasaq Ajala that performed tremendously well in eight years. Hon. Seyi Jakande played a pivotal role in that administration as the vice chairman, deputizing for his boss at the time. He performed oversight functions, working closely with all the parastats under the LCDA. He distinguished himself as a highly dedicated and proactive Chairman whom the immediate past President found to be absolutely loyal and reliable. Hon. Rasaq Ajala was always confident that, with his vice, Hon. Seyi Jakande beside him, he could go to sleep knowing the affairs of the LCDA was in capable hands. And this very deep and profound bond that existed between them reflected in their working relationship which in turn reflected in the volume of achievements they recorded together as a team. This is why everyone in the community looked forward to the emergence of Hon. Seyi Jakande as the new Executive Chairman during the local government chairmanship election that held recently across Lagos state. They knew that, with Hon. Seyi Jakande at the helm of affairs, his administration would be a continuation of top notch performance across all spheres of the community. It will be another four great years of academic excellence and improved social welfare and security delivery for the people of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA.
Last week, City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) and TIMOTHY FOWOMOLA engaged the very quiet, soft-spoken and brilliant administrator, Hon. Seyi Jakande, and got him to share some of his plans with us. And the gentleman, who happens to be one of the sons of the legendary Alhaji Lateef Jakande, a man regarded as perhaps the most celebrated Lagos State Governor in terms of his achievements, showed why the people voted for him enmass. His intelligence and commitment to meeting the expectations of the people shone all through the conversation. Enjoy excerpts.
Congratulations, on your emergence as the new chairman of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye local government. what were some of the factors that helped you triumph at the polls?
I think the most important and significant factor is the fact that I was the Vice Chairman in this local government. Having served as a vice chairman for eight years, I think people did appreciate the impact that we have been able to achieve in those eight years. And of course, they demanded for a continuity of what we have been able to do in those eight years. So I think that was a very significant impact, the fact that in eight years we’ve been able to change the narrative within our community and then the appreciation that the prospect that continuation offers . And of course, going into the election, I’ve also developed a solution, which I anchored around the HEWA agenda. You know, having worked for eight years, it was easy for me to project in the next step, how we progress and how we move forward. So, for me, I think it was a field ambition.
It was a journey that was an aspiration that actually started with a lot of great hopes and a lot of determination, that all that has been achieved over the years must definitely be sustained for us to move forward progressively.
Is this present position a defining moment in politics for you?
Every person’s moments is a definition of God’s wish. So I believe that it’s a starting point. I believe that occupying the position as Executive Chairman from the position of the Vice Chairman has actually given me that opportunity to acquire enough experience, both in the political field and the administrative field. That has actually helped me, that on assumption of office, getting to the office, I was able to hit the ground running from the very first day.
Now, beyond the fact that you served as Vice for eight years and, of course, you were a very integral part of all the transformation that took place, that must have given you some sort of confidence going into the elections. But were there moments that you had doubts? Were there situations that came up that gave you concerns that it wasn’t going to be a landslide victory for you? Share with us some of those challenging moments leading to the elections.
Well, for me, I would say that every contest comes with its own challenge. And in order for you to actually go into a race, you must be prepared to lose. There’s two sides of a coin, win or lose. You know, when you go into a race where there is a spot for somebody to lose, you know, you have to be very, very careful and be on top of the game. But all I did was to aspire to win and I did everything that would make me win. I consulted with all the leaders, I consolidated on my relationship with the people within the community. And you know, having been together for eight years in the capacity as Vice Chairman, of course, I could read the tempo and the feelings and the yearnings of the people and, of course, their demands.
You know, so I did my whole agenda in such a manner that I know where this administration was going to climax on our agenda on the first, last four years and, of course, where we need to start off. So it was easy for me to project ahead, Put a plan that’s comprehensive, that shows and IS tailored to what the people within the community actually deserves. So we know their demands. We know what is necessary. We know where we’re going to stop, I mean, in the current administration and we know appropriately the way to start for. And most of the programs that, of course, we intend to sustain that we have initiated in the past eight years, I was an integral part of us, those policy making and decisions So it’s not going to be a difficult task for me to continue to sustain those programs that have endeared us to the people of the community. So I believe, honestly, that I did more than enough to win because at a point, people were saying, where are the opponents? I didn’t relent, my eyes were set on the target. I ensured that I didn’t close my eyes until the job was done.
The last time we spoke, we spoke extensively about your legendary dad, the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande. What sort of influence would you say his legacy also had in your emergence in terms of influencing people to support you, to want to consider giving you that benefit of doubt in terms of performance? Would you say that also played some role in your emergence?
So I believe that, of course, I’m very grateful to my late dad for creating a very exciting legacy, by way of family and blood and of course, in the public view, it has impacted a lot on me. And I want to say that. that’s actually helped me in my public life, serving as a vice chairman for 8 years. So the merit is not just being a vice chairman, the merit in it is serving well, creating a balanced support system for that administration, and ensuring that all of our promises and campaign pledges are truly implemented, giving the executive chairman and all of the team a value support kind of system that ensures that we deliver on all our promises. So I think that that rich pedigree where I come from, actually enhanced me in that capacity. And then, of course, I’ve been able to maintain and sustain such pedigree.
So it’s not just being a vice, but the fact that we have been able to contribute significantly in the affairs and the running of the executive position of the local government as a vice chairman and, of course, to deliver on all that we have been doing. So that is what the people have seen. That is what the leaders have actually appreciated and evaluated on all that we have done, and believe that the best person that can actually move us forward from this stage to the destination, to give the people of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye a greater prosperity was me, as the vice chairman to step in the same position as the Executive chairman.
Having served as vice chairman for 8 years, there’s no doubt you and your predecessor have achieved a lot. Can you give us two things that you are going to do differently now that you are occupying the seat?
Government is a continuum. What we have done is to stabilize on the achievements that we have done by way of continuity, by way of sustaining all that has been done and, of course, bringing in new innovations for the good people of Odi -Olowo Ojuwoye. So, all that we have done in the past 8 years, you know, people-centered programs, in the areas of education, in the areas of sports, in the areas of health, just like what we have been doing over the years. We have been consistent in our programs. We have ensured that every, every year we have returned more enhanced on the same program, adding new innovations, putting things that we need to correct, and of course, making sure that these things become more impactful, expanded, and all of that.
So we continue to do that, we continue to experience that all our programs have been introduced. We continue to try to play back annually all that we have done and ensure that all of the little errors that we have noticed in the previous year are corrected and things are made better and put in proper perspective so that people can continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy. We have new innovations. It’s a journey and you know, we have a clear visions to see where we’re taking these communities to. And we’re not going to limit on anything to ensure that we deliver and make sure that a greater Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye is definitely achieved. We have initiated it, we’ve built on the foundation, we will continue to build on that foundation so that every child, every adult, every female, every member of this community will have a fair share of the dividends of democracy coming to them, that’s it.
