Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s sports sector can play a major role in youth development, job creation and social transformation.

Obi raised concerns about the sector after watching a Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match between Enugu Rangers and Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, on Sunday.

He attended the match alongside Ladipo Johnson, the NDC candidate for Lagos Central Senatorial District, and Aisha Jimoh, the party’s candidate for Lagos Island Constituency II in the House of Representatives.

Reflecting on the match, Obi said he was struck by the opportunities that sports could provide for young Nigerians, citing countries such as Brazil and Jamaica as examples of nations that have used sports to engage young people, fight crime and create opportunities.

He expressed disappointment over what he described as poor development of sports in Nigeria, noting that the stadium, which he said had a capacity of about 10,000, had fewer than 2,000 spectators during the match.

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“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,” Obi said.

According to him, Nigeria has abundant sporting talent but lacks the vision and commitment required to transform that talent into opportunities for young people.

“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,” he added.

Obi in his argument noted that sports should not be viewed merely as entertainment, stressing that properly developed sporting infrastructure and programmes could contribute to youth development, employment and social transformation.

“Sport is not merely entertainment; properly developed, it can be a powerful tool for youth development, employment, and social transformation,” he said.

Reiterating his points, he said Nigeria needed to harness the potential of sports as part of efforts to create opportunities for young people and address wider social challenges.