Officials Deliver Based On Capacity, Not Criticism — Lam-Adesina
•By OYENIYI AWOJOODU
IBADAN — THE Coordinator of Ibadan Youths for Asiwaju, Dapo Lam-Adesina, has stated that government officials can only perform in line with their capabilities, stressing that he does not subscribe to the culture of constant criticism of public office holders.
Lam-Adesina, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented Ibadan North East/South East Federal Constituency between 2015 and 2019, made this known during a courtesy visit to the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, at the Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan.
According to him, the competence of any leader is a major determinant of performance in office.
He urged Nigerians to support the administration of Bola Tinubu in order to ensure the successful completion of ongoing legacy projects.
He emphasized that governance should be evaluated using measurable indices such as infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, and rural development, rather than political sentiments.
Lam-Adesina noted that past initiatives in the education sector by late leaders like Obafemi Awolowo and Bola Ige remain enduring benchmarks in Nigeria’s development history.
Speaking on the power sector, he observed that electricity is no longer exclusively under the control of the Federal Government, but expressed concern that many state governors have yet to leverage this opportunity to improve power generation despite increased allocations.
He further criticized the tendency of some governors to avoid embarking on long-term, transformative projects that may not be completed within their tenure, stressing the need for sustainable development initiatives.
“Payment of salaries and pensions alone should not be considered the only dividend of democracy,” he said.
Assessing governance in Oyo State, Lam-Adesina expressed concern over what he described as inadequate attention to critical sectors, including education, healthcare, and local government administration.
In his remarks, the Chairman of NUJ, Oyo State Council, Akeem Abas, commended Lam-Adesina for his contributions to politics and assured that journalists in the state would continue to uphold professionalism and ethical standards.
Abas disclosed that about 250 journalists had been trained on modern trends in journalism within the first two months of his administration.
He added that the era of using journalists as tools for blackmail and propaganda was over, noting that members are now better equipped to practice solution-driven journalism that supports national development.
He reaffirmed the NUJ’s commitment to continuous capacity building, stating that regular training programmes would remain a priority to ensure accurate, balanced, and development-oriented reportage.