Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has stated that Nigeria does not lack talent but has suffered from years of leadership failure, preventing Nigerians from attaining their full potential.
Obi said in a statement on Monday via his official X (formerly Twitter) account that as he prepared to watch the Super Bowl—the National Football League’s championship game—between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, he was drawn to Nigeria’s vast potential.
According to him, the presence of Nigerian-born and Nigerian-origin athletes on one of the world’s most prestigious athletic stages served as a reminder of what Nigerians can do when given the correct atmosphere.
“As I prepared to watch the Super Bowl tonight, I was reminded of Nigeria’s vast potential. On the field were three exceptional Nigerians making their nation proud on the world’s biggest sporting stage,” he wrote.
He mentioned Michael Onwenu of the New England Patriots, Uchenna Nwosu of the Seattle Seahawks, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks, who is of Nigerian descent, as examples of Nigerians excelling on the global stage.
Obi stated that their success was not accidental but the product of discipline, opportunity, and systems that recognize and reward talent.
“Their success is not accidental; it is the result of discipline, opportunity, and systems that recognize and reward talent,” he stated.
The former Anambra State governor stated that observing their performances demonstrated what Nigerians could do if similar structures existed at home.
He contended that Nigeria’s ongoing challenges were caused by leadership’s failure to establish enabling conditions, rather than a lack of gifted individuals.
“Watching them, one cannot help but reflect on what Nigerians can achieve when provided with the right environment to thrive,” Obi said.
He also stated that with leadership driven by vision, competence, and integrity, Nigeria could record similar successes across different sectors.
“If our country were governed with vision, competence, and integrity, and if leadership focused on building strong institutions, investing in people, and creating equal opportunities, there would be no limit to what Nigerians could accomplish—not just in sports, but in science, technology, business, education, and every sphere of human endeavor,” he said.
Obi emphasized that Nigeria’s problem over the years had not been a shortage of talent but a failure to harness it.
“Nigeria is not lacking in talent. What we have lacked for too long is leadership that unleashes that talent,” he said.
He further stated that proper leadership would enable Nigeria to compete favorably on the world stage and continually excel.
“When we get leadership right, Nigeria will not only participate on the global stage but will consistently excel and lead,” according to Obi.
The Super Bowl is the National Football League’s annual championship game in the United States, and it concludes each NFL season. It has been held since 1966 and will be played on the second Sunday of February beginning in 2022.
Uchenna Nwosu, the Seattle Seahawks’ linebacker, was born in Carson, California, but is of Nigerian origin. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks’ wide receiver, was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, to a mother of Sierra Leonean and Nigerian ethnicity.
Michael Onwenu, an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Nigerian parents.
