Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has praised the transfer of 18-year-old Nigerian forward Zadok Yohanna to English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, saying the story underscores why sports remains a viable pathway for youth development.
In a post on his verified Facebook page, Saraki said he “had to read it twice” after learning that Yohanna, born in Bauchi and raised in Kaduna, moved to Sweden less than a year ago and has now secured a reported £21.5 million transfer to Brighton, beating interest from several of Europe’s biggest clubs.
“When people ask me why I still believe in sports as a pathway for youth development, stories like this are part of my answer,” Saraki wrote. “Born in Bauchi. Moved to Kaduna as a young boy to chase a football dream. Flew to Sweden less than a year ago. Today, at just 18, he’s signed for Brighton & Hove Albion for £21.5 million.”
The former Kwara State governor described Yohanna’s journey as proof that “talent exists everywhere in this country,” but noted that what is often missing is “opportunity, structure, support and belief.”
Saraki linked Yohanna’s success to his own experience establishing the Kwara Football Academy and ABS FC during his tenure as governor. He cited players such as Dennis Emmanuel Bonaventure, Olusegun Okunle, Benjamin Frederick, Dennis Emmanuel Bonaventure, Olusegun Okunle, Benjamin Frederick, Mubarak Yusuf and others who came through the academy and are now playing professionally at home and abroad.
“This is why I will always back investments in youth academies, sports infrastructure and grassroots football,” he stated. “Not because every child will become a professional footballer, but because talent exists everywhere in this country. What is often missing is opportunity, structure, support and belief.”
He urged the Nigeria Football Federation, the National Sports Commission and the National Institute for Sports to create an enabling environment for more football academies to discover and nurture talent like Yohanna.
Saraki concluded with a message to young Nigerians: “To every young person chasing a dream that looks impossible today: keep going. Your current circumstances do not have to define your future.”
Brighton announced Yohanna’s signing last week. The teenager had joined Swedish side IFK Norrköping in 2025 before his rapid move to the Premier League.
At 18, Yohanna becomes one of the most expensive teenage exports from Nigeria. His transfer adds to growing interest in Nigerian youth talent by European clubs, and has reignited debate on the need for structured development pathways and private-public investment in sports academies across the country.
