Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria is not lacking in talent but has suffered for years from leadership failure that has prevented citizens from reaching their full potential.
In a statement on Monday via his official X (formerly Twitter), Obi said his attention was drawn to Nigeria’s vast potential as he prepared to watch the Super Bowl — the National Football League’s championship game — featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
According to him, the presence of Nigerian-born players and those of Nigerian heritage on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages was a reminder of what Nigerians could achieve when provided with the right environment to succeed.
“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 said their success was not accidental but the product of discipline, opportunity and systems that recognise and reward talent.
“Their success is not accidental; it is the result of discipline, opportunity, and systems that recognise and reward talent,” he stated.
The former Anambra State governor noted that watching their performances highlighted what Nigerians could accomplish if similar systems existed at home.
He argued that Nigeria’s persistent struggles were not due to a lack of gifted individuals but the failure of leadership to create enabling conditions.
“Watching them, one cannot help but reflect on what Nigerians can achieve when provided with the right environment to thrive,” Obi said.
He added 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 endeavour,” he said.
Obi stressed 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 noted that getting leadership right would allow Nigeria to compete favourably on the global stage and consistently excel.
“When we get leadership right, Nigeria will not only participate on the global stage but will consistently excel and lead,” Obi added.
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League in the United States and serves as the final game of each NFL season. It has been held since 1966 and, since 2022, is played on the second Sunday in February.
Uchenna Nwosu, a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, was born in Carson, California, but is of Nigerian descent. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a wide receiver for the Seahawks, was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, to a mother of Sierra Leonean and Nigerian descent. Michael Onwenu, an offensive lineman with the New England Patriots, was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Nigerian parents.
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