African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has promised that Nigeria will not miss any FIFA World Cup during an eight-year period if he becomes President, pledging to transform the country into a major global sports hub.
Sowore made the declaration on Saturday while participating in the 2026 Enugu City International Marathon in Enugu State.
The presidential candidate said his administration would prioritise the development of football and other sporting disciplines, provide adequate infrastructure and create an environment that would enable Nigerian athletes to compete successfully on the global stage.
“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,” Sowore said.
“This is because we get the best and the most competent and we will provide the environment for sports to thrive in this country.”
Sowore participated in the 10-kilometre race for the second time, saying he returned after being impressed by the organisation of the previous edition.
“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.
The AAC candidate called for similar road races to be organised across the country, arguing that sporting events could promote healthy living, strengthen communities and create opportunities for young Nigerians.
He, however, noted that a 10-kilometre race was technically not a marathon, explaining that a full marathon covers 42 kilometres while a half marathon is 21 kilometres.
Beyond their health benefits, Sowore said sporting events could help build communities while creating a connection between sports, culture and economic development.
He argued that Nigeria had failed to properly harness the enormous commercial potential of sports despite its large population and abundance of talented young people.
According to him, the country could develop athletes into global ambassadors while generating substantial revenue through what he described as the sports economy.
“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,” he said.
“We call it the orange economy. It’s an economic model that, if well-developed, can bring more money than oil.”
Sowore cited Brazil and Kenya as examples of countries that have successfully developed particular sporting disciplines into major sources of national recognition and economic opportunity.
While Brazil has built a global reputation around football, he pointed to Kenya’s dominance in long-distance running and questioned why Nigeria had failed to compete at a similar level despite its population.
“Nigeria has 200 million people. I don’t know why we are not beating Kenya in all the long-distance races,” he said.
The AAC candidate also identified swimming as another discipline in which Nigeria possesses untapped potential.
“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,” Sowore said.
“I come from the Niger Delta region. I don’t know why we are not winning swimming medals. We have great runners.”
He blamed the country’s failure to maximise its sporting potential partly on poor administration and inadequate support for athletes.
Sowore said Nigeria possessed enough talent to compete successfully with the world’s leading sporting nations but lacked the institutional structure and competent administration necessary to identify, develop and retain that talent.
He was particularly critical of football administration, saying Nigeria’s failure to qualify for major competitions was unacceptable for a country with such a large pool of talented players.
The Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has triggered widespread criticism of the management of Nigerian football and renewed calls for structural reforms.
Sowore maintained that sustained investment in infrastructure, competent sports administration and better athlete development programmes would form part of his government’s strategy if elected in 2027.
He said the objective would extend beyond football to athletics, swimming and other sports in which Nigeria has the potential to become globally competitive.
The presidential candidate argued that a properly developed sports industry could provide jobs, generate revenue, improve public health and offer young Nigerians viable careers while strengthening the country’s international reputation.
For Sowore, Nigeria’s sporting challenges are therefore not the result of a lack of talent but of an environment that has failed to provide athletes with the structures and support necessary to fulfil their potential.
He pledged that a government led by him would change that approach and position Nigeria as a country capable of competing consistently at the highest levels of international sport.
