Faulty leadership recruitment breeds poor performance –Lam-Adesina

By Oluseye Ojo

Former member of the House of Representatives, Dapo Lam-Adesina, yesterday, warned that defective leadership recruitment remains a major impediment to good governance.

He stressed that public office holders could only perform within the limits of their capacities.

Speaking during a visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, he said he deliberately refrained from criticising government officials based on the fact that performance outcomes are largely determined by the competence of those entrusted with leadership.

The Ibadan-born politician, who represented Ibadan North East/South East Federal Constituency between 2015 and 2019, maintained that governance should be evaluated through empirical indices, such as infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture and rural development, rather than through the prism of partisan sentiments.

Lam-Adesina, who coordinates the Ibadan Youths for Asiwaju, a support group mobilising support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, called on Nigerians to sustain their support for the current administration to ensure the completion of the ongoing legacy projects.

Drawing historical parallels, he identified the enduring educational interventions of late statesmen, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige, as exemplary models of visionary leadership, whose impacts continue to resonate across generations.

On the power sector, he observed that electricity was no longer on the Exclusive Legislative List, but expressed concern that many state governments had failed to leverage the decentralisation to boost power generation, despite increased fiscal allocations.

He decried what he described as a pervasive short-term approach to governance, noting that some leaders were reluctant to embark on transformative, long-gestation projects that may not be completed within their tenure.

“Payment of salaries and pensions alone cannot constitute the dividends of democracy,” he said.

He advocated a shift towards sustainable, high-impact development initiatives.

Assessing governance in Oyo State, he flagged what he termed insufficient attention to critical sectors, including education, healthcare and local government administration.

He was accompanied on the visit by political associates, Kazeem Bolarinwa and Akinola Olugbade.

Responding, the Oyo State Chairman of the NUJ, Akeem Abas, commended him for his continued engagement in public discourse and reaffirmed the union’s commitment to professional excellence.

He stated that approximately 250 journalists had undergone capacity-building training on contemporary media practices within the first two months of his administration, which underscored a deliberate shift away from sensationalism, propaganda and blackmail.

He reiterated that the union would sustain regular training programmes aimed at equipping journalists with the skills required for accurate, balanced and solution-driven reportage, capable of advancing national development.