Peter Obi Decries Poor NPFL Attendance, Boboye Laments Bendel Insurance Away Form

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has raised concerns over poor attendance at Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) matches, saying the country is failing to turn its sporting talent into opportunities for young people.

Peter Obi spoke while watching Ikorodu City’s 2-0 win over reigning champions Enugu Rangers in an NPFL Matchday Six fixture at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.

Sitting alongside Ikorodu City president Sanmi Doherty, Obi noted that the stadium, which has a capacity of about 10,000, attracted fewer than 2,000 spectators.

“It pained me to see how poorly we are developing sports in Nigeria. A stadium with a capacity of about 10,000 had fewer than 2,000 spectators,” he said.

“Nigeria has no shortage of sporting talent. What we lack is the vision and commitment to turn that talent into opportunities for our young people.

“Sport is not merely entertainment; properly developed, it can be a powerful tool for youth development, employment, and social transformation.”

Meanwhile, Bendel Insurance head coach Kennedy Boboye admitted that his side’s poor first-half performance contributed to their 3-0 defeat to Abia Warriors on Sunday, September 27.

Chukwuemeka Obioma scored twice for the hosts, while Etta Ikoi added the other goal as Insurance suffered their third away defeat of the season.

“We played badly in the first half and were punished,” Boboye said after the game.

“That’s football for you. When you don’t meet the standard, your opponent punishes you.”

Bendel Insurance started three former Abia Warriors players, Fatai Abdullahi, Suraj Lawal and Adekunle Adeleke, but Boboye said their inclusion was based on their regular involvement since joining the club.

“They have been starting every game here at Bendel Insurance since they joined us,” Boboye said.

“This isn’t their first time and this is not an exception. It’s just that we’re unlucky to have conceded cheap goals in the first half.

“We’ll go back and restrategise for our next game against Barau FC.”

The defeat means Bendel Insurance have now lost all three of their away matches this season, a record Boboye acknowledged must improve if the club are to challenge for the NPFL title.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a must-win game for us if we must stay among the top sides on the log and contest for the title,” the coach said.

“We can’t think of winning the league and continue losing games like this.

“This is the third game we’ve lost away from home. If you want to be a champion, you must make sure you get something (points) from away games and not depend on home games alone.”