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Former Governor of Anambra State and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the pervasive corruption in Nigeria’s sports sector, describing it as a mirror of the nation’s broader moral and institutional decay. In a statement shared on his official X, handle, Obi reacted to FIFA’s recent revelations on the mismanagement of funds disbursed to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for stadium development and youth talent programs. According to Obi, the development is “both sickening and shameful,” symbolizing the entrenched corruption that continues to cripple Nigeria’s potential in key sectors. “While we continue to grapple with insecurity, poverty, and unemployment among our youths, the most heartbreaking reality remains the entrenched corruption that permeates every facet of our nation, especially in the critical sectors that could help lift Nigeria in these challenging times,” Obi said. The former governor recalled that during his tenure in Anambra, officials from the Sports Federation informed his administration that Awka had been selected as one of six zones for the construction of a FIFA-standard stadium to be fully funded by FIFA. Anambra 2025: ADC, LP Battle Over Peter Obi’s Membership I Intend To Retire From Active Business In Ten Years – Obi Cubana Some Yahoo Boys Are Geniuses Who Need Redirection – Peter Obi “We immediately allocated land for that purpose and were assured the project would be executed through the Federal Ministry of Sports. That was the last we heard of it,” he revealed. Believing the project would proceed as planned, Obi said his administration went on to build mini-stadiums across the state to support grassroots sports, including the Chuba Ikpeazu Memorial Stadium and the Godwin Achebe Stadium in Onitsha. He lamented that years later, nothing came of the promised FIFA project, prompting his government to initiate the construction of the Awka Stadium independently. Obi expressed disappointment over reports that since 2013, about $25 million has been received by the NFF from FIFA and CAF for the development of football and youth sports, with “little or nothing to show for it.” He particularly criticized the much-publicized $1.2 million stadium project in Kebbi State, describing it as a “national embarrassment.” “The structure in no way reflects the funds claimed to have been spent on it,” he said, calling for a full investigation into the disbursement and use of international sports grants. Obi further criticized those who accuse reform-minded Nigerians of “demarketing” the country by exposing corruption, stating that such critics are the real enemies of progress. “The real demarketers of Nigeria are the incompetent leaders who have forged their way to wealth through the mismanagement and theft of public funds, resources that should have been used to provide schools, healthcare, and employment for our youths,” he said. He decried the irony of labeling struggling youths as “Yahoo boys” while the real perpetrators of economic sabotage remain in high office. “Our youths are our most prized assets, yet we have destroyed their future and then turned around to label them ‘Yahoo boys,’ when, in truth, the leaders who have robbed them of their future are the real ‘Yahoo’ of our nation,” Obi declared. Obi emphasized that Nigeria’s sports decline is symptomatic of a larger governance failure, stressing that rebuilding the nation must begin with integrity and accountability across all sectors. “This is yet another shameful reflection of the corruption we have allowed to take root in Nigeria. If we truly desire to rebuild our country, we must begin with integrity and accountability in every aspect and sector,” he remarked.
