Nigeria's Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, Peter Obi, has congratulated African countries in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate pointed out that Cape Verde's impressive journey to the knockout stage shows that success is more about leadership and planning than having a large population. He blamed Nigeria’s failure to qualify on bad leadership.
PUNCH Online reports that 10 African teams took part in the tournament. So far, eight teams have been knocked out, leaving only Morocco and Egypt in the Round of 16.
Seven teams made it to the Round of 32 but had to leave the competition early. Tunisia was eliminated in the group stage.
Cape Verde stood out with an amazing performance in the tournament. The debuting team faced tough opponents like Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia to reach the knockout stage. They even took defending champions Argentina to extra time before losing.
In a statement he shared on his X handle on Sunday, Obi praised Cape Verde for its surprising success, pointing out that the small island nation reached the knockout stage despite having a small size and population.
“Congratulations to all the African countries representing our continent at the World Cup. Your performances have made Africa proud,” he wrote.
Obi noted that Cape Verde showed how good planning and discipline can help even the smallest countries compete on the world stage.
“Special congratulations to Cape Verde, a nation with a landmass of 4,033 sq km, which is less than 0.5% of Nigeria’s landmass of 923,768 sq km, and a population of about 550,000, which is less than 0.25% of Nigeria’s population of 230,000,000.
“For context, Cape Verde has about 200,000 fewer people than Ogbomoso. Yet, they reached the knockout stage of the World Cup.”
Obi believes Cape Verde’s success should serve as a lesson for Nigeria. He emphasized that success comes from having strong systems, not just from population size or geography.
“Cape Verde has once again shown that greatness is not just about size or population, but about planning and discipline. When systems work, even the smallest nations can compete with the best in the world,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor linked Nigeria’s absence from the tournament to what he called years of poor governance and weak institutions, not a lack of football talent.
“Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup is not due to a lack of talent. It is because of years of bad governance, weak institutions, and leadership that has failed to create sustainable systems,” he stated.
He encouraged Nigeria to focus on good leadership, reforming institutions, and rewarding talent based on merit. He believes this will set Nigeria up for success in more than just football.
“This is the lesson for us as a nation: if we can get leadership right, strengthen our institutions, plan well, and reward talent over connections, Nigeria can become a global success story, not just in football but in other areas too.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇