The Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has congratulated the African countries that participated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying Cape Verde’s impressive run to the knockout stage shows that national success is driven by effective leadership and planning rather than population size.
Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, also blamed Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament on poor leadership and weak institutions.
Ten African nations featured at the World Cup, with eight already eliminated. Morocco and Egypt remain in the competition and will compete in the Round of 16.
While seven African teams reached the Round of 32 before bowing out, Tunisia exited in the group stage.
Among the continent’s standout performers was tournament debutant Cape Verde, which advanced from a difficult group containing Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia before stretching defending champions Argentina to extra time in the knockout stage, where the South Americans eventually prevailed.
In a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, Obi praised the island nation for surpassing expectations despite its relatively small landmass and population.
“Congratulations to all the African countries representing our continent at the World Cup. Your performances have made Africa proud,” he wrote.
Highlighting Cape Verde’s achievement, Obi said the country had demonstrated that strategic planning and disciplined execution could enable even the smallest nations to compete successfully on the global stage.
“Special congratulations to Cape Verde, a nation with a landmass of 4,033 sq km, which is less than 0.5 per cent of Nigeria’s landmass of 923,768 sq km, and a population of about 550,000, which is less than 0.25 per cent of Nigeria’s population of 230 million.
“For context, Cape Verde has about 200,000 fewer people than Ogbomoso. Yet, they reached the knockout stage of the World Cup.”
According to Obi, Cape Verde’s performance offers an important lesson for Nigeria, stressing that national progress depends on building functional systems rather than relying on demographic or geographical advantages.
“Cape Verde has once again demonstrated that greatness is not determined by size or population, but by planning and disciplined execution. When systems work, even the smallest nations can compete with the best in the world,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor argued that Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup reflected years of poor administration and institutional failure rather than a lack of footballing talent.
“Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup is not a consequence of a lack of talent. It is the result of years of poor administration, weak institutions, and leadership that has consistently failed to build sustainable systems,” he stated.
He urged Nigeria to embrace good governance, strengthen its institutions and reward merit, saying those reforms would enable the country to excel not only in football but across every sector.
“This is the lesson for us as a nation: if we can get leadership right, strengthen our institutions, plan and execute properly, and reward talent over connections, Nigeria can become a global success story, not only in football but also in other areas,” Obi added.
