The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has promised that Nigeria will not miss any FIFA World Cup during his eight-year tenure, should he be elected president.
Sowore made the pledge on Saturday in Enugu while taking part in the 2026 Enugu City International Marathon, competing in the 10-kilometre race for the second time.
He said his administration would turn Nigeria into a major global sports hub by developing other sporting disciplines to compete successfully at the international level.
“Well, I came back because I was impressed with the first one and I have seen so far that the organisation is impressive,” he said of his decision to return to the Enugu event.
He described road races as important for promoting healthy living, community development and youth engagement, urging every state in Nigeria to organise similar events. He clarified that a 10-kilometre race was not a full marathon, noting that a full marathon covers 42 kilometres while a half marathon covers 21 kilometres.
Sowore said sporting events improve health, build communities and create an intersection between sports and culture, adding that they could also help Nigeria develop young people into global ambassadors while creating significant economic opportunities.
“Most importantly, this is how to build young people to be global ambassadors of your country. There’s a big economy out there that is known as the sports economy. We call it the orange economy. It’s an economic model that, if well developed, can bring more money than oil,” he said.
He cited Brazil and Kenya as examples of countries that benefit significantly from sports, particularly football and long-distance running.
“Nigeria has 200 million people. I don’t know why we are not beating Kenya in all the long-distance races,” he said.
Sowore promised that his administration would develop sports infrastructure and provide an enabling environment for athletes to excel across various disciplines.
“Nigeria will become a major sports hub for the world. It doesn’t matter which sports you are doing. I’m a swimmer too, by the way. I come from the Niger Delta region. I don’t know why we are not winning swimming medals. We have great runners,” he said.
He criticised the country’s sports administration, particularly the management of football, saying Nigeria had the talent to perform better internationally but had missed opportunities because of poor administration and inadequate support for athletes.
“We are supposed to be at the World Cup. If I’m president of Nigeria, we are not missing any World Cup for my eight years. I’ll make sure that happens. This is because we get the best and the most competent and we will provide the environment for sports to thrive in this country,” he said.
Sowore said his government would prioritise competence in sports management and identify and support the best talents across different sporting fields, describing sports development as part of a broader plan to create jobs and generate revenue outside the oil sector.
Credit: punchng.com
