The Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 Elections, Peter Obi, said, the “possibilities of sport” are “endless”.
He made the statement on X in reaction to the clash between Ikorodu City and Rangers International FC in Lagos.
Obi alongside the Ladipo Johnson and Aisha Jimoh, NDC candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives respectively, went to watch the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match between the Oga Boys and Flying Antelopes at Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
The game, which held on Sunday 27 September, 2026, had Ikorodu City emerge winner 2-0 over the reigning Kings of Nigeria.
While the former Governor of Anambra State was enjoying the match, he started thinking about the “possibilities of sport”, which he described as “enormous”.
Obi made known: “Today, accompanied by Ladipo Johnson, the NDC candidate for Lagos Central Senatorial District, and Aisha Jimoh, the NDC candidate for the House of Representatives, Lagos Island Constituency II, we went to the Onikan Stadium to watch the local league match between Enugu Rangers FC and Ikorodu City FC.”
He also said, American countries, Brazil and Jamaica, have used sport to “fight crime” as he expressed “pain” seeing how Nigeria is “poorly” developing sports.
The Onikan Stadium is a venue with a capacity of “10,000”, however, the match on Sunday recorded less than “2,000” spectators.
Obi said: “As the match unfolded, I thought about the enormous possibilities of sport and how countries such as Brazil and Jamaica have used it to engage young people, fight crime, and create opportunities.
“It pained me to see how poorly we are developing sports in Nigeria. A stadium with a capacity of about 10,000 had fewer than 2,000 spectators.”
Nigeria has “sporting talent” in abundance, however, the problem is “lack of vision and commitment” to convert that talent into “opportunity” for juvenile Nigerians.
He said, sport is “entertainment”, as well as, a “powerful tool” for youth development if “properly managed”.
“Nigeria has no shortage of sporting talent. What we lack is the vision and commitment to turn that talent into opportunities for our young people”, Obi said.
He continued: “Sport is not merely entertainment; properly developed, it can be a powerful tool for youth development, employment, and social transformation.”
The outcome on Sunday means, Ikorodu City are eighth with eight (8) points, while, Enugu Rangers FC are 4th with ten (10) points, both after five (5) games.
