The Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2027 general elections, Mr Omoyele Sowore, has promised to make Nigeria a major global sports hub if elected president.
Sowore stated this on Saturday in Enugu while participating in the 2026 Enugu City International Marathon.
He said under his administration, Nigeria would not miss any FIFA World Cup during his eight-year tenure, while also developing other sporting disciplines to compete successfully at the international level.
The AAC presidential candidate, who participated in the 10-kilometre race for the second time, said he returned to the event 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.
Sowore described road races as important for promoting healthy living, community development and youth engagement, urging every state in Nigeria to organise road races.
He, however, clarified that a 10-kilometre race was not technically a marathon, noting that a full marathon was 42 kilometres while a half marathon was 21 kilometres.
According to him, sporting events improve health, build communities and create an intersection between sports and culture.
He said sports could also help Nigeria develop young people into global ambassadors while creating a significant economic opportunity for the country.
“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.
“We call it the orange economy. It’s an economic model that, if well-developed, can bring more money than oil,” he said.
Sowore cited Brazil and Kenya as examples of countries benefiting significantly from sports, particularly football and long-distance running.
“Nigeria has 200 million people. I don’t know why we are not beating Kenya in all the long-distance races,” he said.
He promised that, if elected, his administration would develop sports infrastructure and provide an enabling environment for athletes to excel in various sporting disciplines.
“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.
“I come from the Niger Delta region. I don’t know why we are not winning swimming medals. We have great runners,” he said.
Sowore also criticised the country’s sports administration, particularly the management of football, saying Nigeria had the talent to perform better internationally.
He said the country had missed opportunities to develop its sporting potential because of poor administration and inadequate support for athletes.
He said Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup was unacceptable, stressing that his administration would ensure that the country consistently qualified for the tournaments.
“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.
“This is because we get the best and the most competent and we will provide the environment for sports to thrive in this country,” he said.
