Dapo Lam-Adesina, Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports and son of former governor of the state, Chief Lam Adesina, initially contested for the Ibadan North East/South East Federal Constituency seat in the April elections, which he lost. He spoke to DAMILOLA ADEKOYA in Ibadan on the controversy trailing his appointment, the experience so far and other sundry issues. THERE have been some insinuations that your appointment as commissioner was primarily because of your father and not on merit'How do we know when someone merits something' Firstly, I guess the governor and certain people that were with us at the retreat we attended with him were shocked at my performance that the governor had to speak about the reason he chose me.The governor said he never picked me because of my father and that he has been justified with my performance on that day. He said as a man who has really worked with so many people, he knows when he sees good product. He said he made the right choice by making me the commissioner for youth and sports.Notwithstanding, one cannot but ask why me out of millions of youths in the state' Everybody has a platform that you use to get things done. Maybe that was just the platform I used, but it was not like I relied solely on it. It was just God's doing and the fact that the governor wanted me. If he didn't pick me, the heavens will not fall.Does the fact that your name was not on the first batch of the commissioner-nominees sent to the state House of Assembly not justify the claim that probably you didn't really merit the position'I am so sure the governor is a man of integrity. For him to have said that he knew the quality I was made up of, he knew what he was doing when he later chose me.I have said it before that when I was chosen, it was the governor that called me on phone. If he had called my father, I would have rejected it.When I finished my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Enugu State, my father got me a job in Lagos, but I turned it down and went into private business. I gave in to the governor's offer because of the honour he accorded to me by calling me to inform me that he want to make me a commissioner. I believe that if I didn't take up that position, no young person like me would be made a commissioner in the state, at least for now.I feel it is not justifiable to think I didn't merit the appointment.How are you going about your duties as commissioner for Youths and Sports and what plans do you have for youths in the state'Today, we have broken the jinx of having a youth heading the Youth and Sports ministry in Oyo State. We have always had adults or senior youths, as they called themselves, heading the ministry.So far, we have been trying to do our best and in no distant time, people will begin to see what we have been able to do.We are setting up a youth parliament in the state and about completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp at Iseyin. We intend to renovate the Adamasigba Stadium in Ibadan.We are also looking into skill acquisition centres, youth development, youth centres and so on. People might not be able to speak about me now until when they start seeing these things done.I came into the ministry with a four-point agenda, which include the re-orientation of our youths regarding the way some of them think and the kind of lifestyle they live. We need to bring back the culture that our fathers grew up with. We need to make the youths see that there is a future for them, if they don't derail.Secondly, we see a need for us to develop our youths through Information Technology (ICT) and other innovations.In addition, we want to resuscitate and develop our infrastructural facilities, and improve on sports and recreation.To achieve all these things, the ministry has been divided into the youths and sports sections. Basically, we are planning to have a mini stadium and youth resource centre in each of the zones in the state, where we will have study centres, sport arena and so on.Talking about youth development, which is very paramount to us, we need to look at seminars, trainings, motivational talk shows, campaigns, awareness and empowerment of our dear youths. When we talk about youth empowerment, we mean provision of jobs for the young people.Right now, we have started work on having a data base for undergraduates and very soon, there would be a sports scheme called jersey merchandise, where young people will sell jerseys of different clubs and be able to make some money from it.Youths in the country have been linked to violence and crime and all manner of social vices. How do you think government can positively engage the youths'The first thing we need to do is make ourselves as role models.Also, we need to create jobs, like I said earlier; we need to make our youths skillfully employed.We need to start discovering talents from the grassroots and those that have excelled in whatever they are doing.I am also planning how we could start a quiz and debate competition and strengthen the match past programme because when our youths are busy with some of these things, the crime rate will reduce.Instead of gunning for the House of Representatives, people believe you should have started by contesting for the local government election, so that you could garner some more experiences and that the post of commissioner is too big a dream for you'There is nothing wrong in being ambitious and the beauty of anybody that wants to succeed in life is for you to be ambitious.I never dreamt of becoming a commissioner; my dream was to be a member of the House of Representatives. I believe it takes the grace of God for you to succeed as a councilor or local government chairman, because the system does not favour people to succeed in those positions.I felt the first thing to do is challenge the constitution of this country. We should have youth advocates, and better still, people that are passionate about this country in the National Assembly. The Nigerian Constitution must be amended and after that one can begin to think about becoming a local government chairman or councilor.The perception of most people in and outside the state is that you are a spoilt son of a rich man who doesn't know anything about governance. It was even rumored that your lifestyle during your father's tenure as the governor was questionable. How is your reaction such insinuations'I am very bold to say that I am not rich and all the things I have today are legally acquired.Concerning my lifestyle, I have so many times challenged people with a proof to challenge me in public.At a time it was rumored that I had a Lincoln Navigator. I have never entered a Lincon Navigator. All these things started from the time my father wanted to re-contest the governorship election and the dirty politics started springing up.
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