World Cup: Cape Verde shows success needs planning, not huge population, Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has congratulated African countries participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He specifically praised Cape Verde's performance, noting its progress to the knockout stage demonstrates that national success hinges on leadership and planning, not population size.

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Congratulations to all the African countries representing our continent at the World Cup. Your performances have made Africa proud.

Obi pointed out the stark contrast between Cape Verde, a small island nation with a landmass of 4,033 sq km and a population of about 550,000, and Nigeria. He highlighted that Cape Verde's population is smaller than that of Ogbomoso, a Nigerian town, yet they reached the World Cup knockout stage.

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Special congratulations to Cape Verde, a nation with a landmass of 4,033 sq km, which is less than 0.5% of Nigeria’s landmass of 923,768 sq km, and a population of about 550,000, which is less than 0.25% of Nigeria’s population of 230,000,000.

"Cape Verde has once again demonstrated that greatness is not determined by size or population, but by planning and disciplined execution," Obi stated on his X handle. He stressed that when systems function effectively, even the smallest nations can compete globally.

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Cape Verde has once again demonstrated that greatness is not determined by size or population, but by planning and disciplined execution. When systems work, even the smallest nations can compete with the best in the world.

Conversely, Obi attributed Nigeria's absence from the tournament to years of poor administration and weak institutions, rather than a lack of football talent. He argued that success is built on functional systems, not demographic or geographical advantages. "Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup is not a consequence of a lack of talent. It is the result of years of poor administration, weak institutions, and leadership that has consistently failed to build sustainable systems," he added.

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Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup is not a consequence of a lack of talent. It is the result of years of poor administration, weak institutions, and leadership that has consistently failed to build sustainable systems.