THE Presidency has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of making what it described as “reckless lies” over sports funding.
News Point Nigeria reports that Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the allegation in a post on his X handle while reacting to Obi’s comments on the need for the Federal Government to invest in sports.
Onanuga said Obi’s sports record as governor was “well documented in the archives.”
“Headlines don’t lie like Peter Obi lies, recklessly. His poor sports record as governor is well documented in the archives,” he wrote.
He further alleged that Obi, despite speaking about the need for increased Federal Government investment in sports, treated Anambra sportsmen and women, including physically challenged athletes, “shabbily” during his eight years as governor.
“Today, he talks, very glibly, of course, about the need for the FG to invest in sport, when, as governor for 8 years, he treated Anambra sportsmen and women and even, unconscionably, the physically challenged sportsmen and women shabbily,” Onanuga said.
In another post, the presidential aide also criticised former Senator Dino Melaye over comments concerning the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Onanuga shared a statement by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) president, describing it as a “stinging rebuke” of Melaye over his claim that NELFUND provides students only N20,000 per year.
“NANS President delivers a stinging rebuke to Dino Melaye over his brazen lie that NELFUND gives students only N20,000 per year,” Onanuga wrote.
The exchange over sports funding followed Obi’s recent call for greater investment in sports development, after he watched a Nigeria Premier Football League match in Lagos and raised concerns about the country’s failure to fully harness its sporting potential.
Obi argued that Nigeria has abundant sporting talent and that greater investment in the sector could help engage young people, combat crime and create employment opportunities, citing countries such as Brazil and Jamaica as examples.
Onanuga’s response, however, shifted the focus to Obi’s record on sports administration during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, with the presidential aide alleging that athletes, including physically challenged sportspeople, were treated poorly during the period. The allegation was not accompanied in the post by specific sports projects, spending figures or other detailed evidence.
