France’s RFI Seeks Direct Access to Northern Nigeria’s Minds Through Sports ‘Partnership

Radio France Internationale (RFI), a French state-funded radio news network, has embarked on an unprecedented “partnership” with Kano Pillars, a prominent football club in Northern Nigeria. This collaboration, which marks RFI’s first-ever sponsorship of a football-related event, is seen by critics as a strategic move by France to gain direct access to the minds of Northern Nigerians through sports.

On July 17, 2025, Joseph Penny, the Head of Hausa Service of RFI, announced an agreement in Kano, Northern Nigeria, where Kano Pillars received a cash payment of 45 million naira and was provided with kits for players and officials for the 2025/2026 season. This deal is reportedly worth N100 million (€56,247.70). Penny described this as “a great development for both parties” and emphasised its historical significance for RFI. Ahmed Musa, General Manager of Kano Pillars and Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, stated that the partnership aligns with his determination to ensure the team receives necessary support to raise its profile.

RFI’s Global and Regional Reach

RFI has a significant global presence, boasting 59.5 million listeners three years ago, making it one of the most-listened-to international radio stations alongside Deutsche Welle, the BBC World Service, and Voice of America. By 2023, RFI’s global audience had grown to 60.8 million.

Its official general social media accounts have a combined reach of 16.1 million, including:

•  Facebook: 6.3 million
•  X: 4.9 million
•  Instagram: 714,000
•  TikTok: 19,900
•  WhatsApp: 2.1 million
•  Threads: 83,100
•  YouTube subscribers: 2.06 million
•  Telegram subscribers: 14,900

As of July 18, 2025, RFI Hausa’s social media reach totals 14.1 million, with figures including:

•  Twitter: 429,400
•  Instagram: 7,307
•  WhatsApp Channel: 351,000
•  TikTok: 792,700
•  Facebook followers: 1.6 million
•  YouTube subscribers: 14,900

These figures are expected to change exponentially due to the new sponsorship deal.

Concerns and Criticism

Despite some superficial accolades, the partnership has drawn significant criticism, particularly concerning its potential for “soft power projection” rather than pure financial gain. Critics view RFI as a “French government mouthpiece”, and this deal is seen as an attempt to directly influence over 70 million Nigerians in the region using their native language.

The historical context includes the expulsion of RFI from Burkina Faso on September 16, 2023, by its government led by Ibrahim Traoré, who cited “pro-French propaganda” as the reason. This incident raises questions about RFI’s intentions beyond surface-level media coverage.

Pan-African voices have expressed concern. Nathalie Yamb, for instance, stated on X that RFI, “expelled from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, … is redeploying to northern Nigeria, as a sponsor of the Kano Pillars football club,” calling it “A sneaky way for the French state to infest the minds of young Nigerians and prepare them to become echo chambers for French lies and destabilisation maneuvers”.

David Hundeyin, Editor-in-Chief of West Africa Weekly, also criticised the foreign influence, remarking that “A French government mouthpiece trying to directly speak to 70 million Nigerians in their native language signs a shirt sponsorship deal with Northern Nigeria’s most iconic football club in an attempt to boost its perceived value and visibility to this audience,” and adding, “All I will say is that [foreign] money is never free money”.

This development has sparked widespread reactions, with some drawing parallels to RFI’s expulsion from the Confederation of Sahel States (CSS) comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso for broadcasting propaganda and influencing citizens.

French Cultural Influence

The RFI-Kano Pillars “partnership” is not an isolated incident but instead fits into France’s broader cultural programmes with the Nigerian government. For example, France’s “Cultural and Creative Industries” FSPI aims to consolidate existing partnerships and create new ones between French and Nigerian stakeholders in areas such as music, digital technology, performing arts, and e-sports in Lagos.

The French government, under past emperors and now President Emmanuel Macron, views Nigeria as having a crucial role in Africa due to its “demographic, economic, cultural and political importance,” which serves the former colonial empire.

About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

author

M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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Kangmwa Gofwen

editor

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