Minister Wike tells ex-captain Yobo: Tell Super Eagles Nigerians are unhappy about World Cup absence

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has voiced strong dissatisfaction with Nigeria's Super Eagles missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

During the commissioning of a road project in the FCT, where former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo was present, Wike implored Yobo to convey the widespread disappointment among Nigerians to the national team. He highlighted the pain of seeing nations with less footballing prominence participating in the World Cup while Nigeria, despite its abundant talent and global football standing, would be absent.

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Yes, we have congratulated one of our stars, Joseph Yobo. But let me use this medium through you to tell the Super Eagles: we are not happy.

"Yes, we have congratulated one of our stars, Joseph Yobo. But let me use this medium through you to tell the Super Eagles: we are not happy," Wike stated. He recounted watching the World Cup and seeing unknown countries qualify, contrasting it with Nigeria's situation. "I see countries I have never heard of before qualifying to play in the World Cup, and I am sitting down for hours watching countries that are completely unknown."

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I won’t clap because I watch the World Cup. I see countries I have never heard of before qualifying to play in the World Cup, and I am sitting down for hours watching countries that are completely unknown.

Wike pointed out that Nigeria possesses numerous top players competing in major leagues worldwide, making the country's failure to qualify particularly difficult for football enthusiasts to accept. This marks Nigeria's second consecutive absence from the FIFA World Cup.

The Super Eagles were eliminated in the African qualifying playoffs following a penalty shootout defeat against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite a strong performance in their final qualifying match against Benin Republic, they narrowly missed an automatic qualification spot and subsequently lost their playoff chance.

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In this contest, we have no fewer than 13 top Nigerian players playing all over the world, yet we did not qualify. Yobo, go and tell them. We are not happy.