Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has attributed Nigeria’s absence from the FIFA World Cup to years of poor leadership, weak institutions and ineffective administration, while congratulating African countries participating in the tournament.
In a post shared on his official social media page, Obi commended all African representatives for making the continent proud, with special praise for Cape Verde for reaching the knockout stage of the competition despite its relatively small population and landmass.
According to him, Cape Verde, with a landmass of about 4,033 square kilometres and a population of approximately 550,000 people, has demonstrated that national success is driven by effective planning and disciplined execution rather than size or population.
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Obi noted that Cape Verde’s population is less than 0.25 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated 230 million people and even smaller than the population of Ogbomoso, yet the country has achieved remarkable success on the global football stage.
He said that Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup was not due to a shortage of football talent but the result of poor administration and the inability to build sustainable institutions.
According to Obi, Nigeria can achieve similar success in football and other sectors if it prioritises competent leadership, strengthens its institutions, embraces proper planning and rewards merit over personal connections.
He urged Nigerians to draw lessons from Cape Verde’s achievement, stressing that with the right systems in place, the country has the potential to become a global success story across different sectors.
Source: Sports Archives – New Telegraph
