Obafemi Martins Is Funding A Football Tournament For Tinubu's Campaign
Lagos · Saturday 12 September 2026
Obafemi Martins has announced a youth football tournament in support of President Bola Tinubu's 2027 campaign. The competition, which he calls the Renewed Hope tournament, is planned for November, will draw teams from the six geopolitical zones, and is to be financed by Martins personally.
Two things are happening at once
One is a former international putting his own money into organised football for young Nigerians, in a country where organised football for young Nigerians is exactly what is missing. The other is a campaign acquiring a nationwide youth event, with a famous name attached, fourteen months before a general election.
The pattern this belongs to
| What gets built | What happens after the election |
|---|---|
| A branded youth competition | Usually nothing |
| A scouting network | Rarely survives the cycle |
| A pathway to a club | Depends entirely on who turns up to watch |
The measure of a tournament is what exists in 2028.
A one-off competition named after a slogan is an event. A competition that runs again when nobody is campaigning is a development programme.
The question for Martins
Martins scored for Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Nigeria, and does not need the platform. If the intention is genuinely to create opportunities, the things that would prove it are dull and cheap: published entry criteria, a fixture list, named scouts in attendance, and a second edition. None of them require a campaign.
Reporting: Vanguard, Pulse Sports Nigeria, Businessday and TVC News.
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