Flamingos: NSC rejects Obi’s account, demands apology over airport incident
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineThe National Sports Commission (NSC) has disputed Peter Obi’s account of his alleged attempt to meet Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, at the Abuja airport, insisting that officials declined a request made by two individuals in the former governor’s campaign attire.
The commission also demanded an apology from the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, accusing him of politicising the team’s World Cup triumph and portraying a routine administrative decision as political victimisation.
The NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, made the position known in a statement on Monday titled, ‘NSC Responds to Peter Obi: Flamingos’ World Cup Victory Must Not Be Politicised’.
Dikko said officials of the commission and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who accompanied and received the team, reported that they did not see Obi around the players at the airport.
According to him, two individuals wearing Obi’s campaign face caps and other campaign attire approached the officials to request an opportunity for the former Anambra State governor to meet and take photographs with the team.
“The NSC and NFF officials who accompanied and received the team have reported that they did not see Mr Obi near or around the players at the airport.
“According to their account, two individuals wearing Peter Obi campaign face caps and other attire approached them to request that Mr Obi meet and take photographs with the players. The proposed arrangement would also likely involve campaign materials,” the statement read.
Dikko explained that the officials rejected the request because the players had just arrived from Morocco at about 5:30 am aboard an Air Maroc flight and were exhausted after the competition and their journey.
He added that there had been no prior notification or arrangement for Obi to receive the team at the airport.
“The officials exercised their judgment in declining the sudden meeting and photograph request at that time, taking account of the players’ welfare and the circumstances of the request and without any prior notice of any arrangement for airport reception for the team.
“Nothing in the account provided by the officials supports the suggestion that their jobs were at risk,” he said.
Obi had earlier accused NFF officials of preventing him from greeting the Flamingos, who returned to Nigeria on Monday after defeating Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final to win their first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
In a statement titled, ‘A New Dimension of Toxic Politics in Nigeria’, the former Anambra State governor said he arrived at the airport at about 7 am to board a flight to Enugu when he noticed the victorious players.
He said he subsequently instructed his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and welcome the team but was informed that NFF officials had rejected the request.
Obi also alleged that the officials threatened to lose their jobs if they allowed him to approach the players, describing the incident as another example of toxic politics in the country.
However, Dikko challenged the account, noting that Obi had said he was at the airport to catch a flight to Enugu, which would ordinarily depart from the domestic terminal, while the Flamingos arrived through the international terminal.
The NSC chairman also maintained that the players were welcomed and celebrated by airport officials and passengers without discrimination based on political or other affiliations.
He said Nigerians at the airport took photographs with the players, danced and shook hands with them as they made their way to their buses.
“The media present to cover the team’s arrival duly captured this moment of joy and national pride, and Mr Obi was never captured anywhere near the team and/or in the vicinity of the international wing of the airport,” he said.
Dikko criticised Obi for describing the incident as political intimidation without first seeking clarification from the commission or the NFF.
He argued that the alleged attempt to arrange an unscheduled meeting had been turned into a political controversy at the expense of the young players’ achievement.
“Turning a request for an unscheduled interaction into a toxic narrative of political victimisation shifts attention from the players’ achievement to an individual political grievance.
“These young champions should not be drawn into that controversy and never deserved this from Mr Obi,” he said.
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The NSC chairman subsequently urged the former governor to apologise to the players, accusing him of overshadowing their historic achievement with his public comments.
“I urged and advised that His Excellency Mr Peter Obi reflect deeply and offer an unreserved apology to these young girls for souring their moment of glory with his regrettable actions, subsequent statement and media interviews deliberately weaponising a non-issue for political gain,” Dikko said.
He further defended the officials’ decision, explaining that the Flamingos were minors and had a dedicated safeguarding officer within their technical crew to protect and guide them.
According to him, the team’s welfare, dignity and protection from undue pressure must remain central to any engagement, including requests for photographs.
“Our young athletes must not be used to suggest allegiance to any political party. These considerations apply equally to public officials, political figures and other members of the public,” he said.
Dikko also highlighted the extensive preparations behind the team’s World Cup triumph, saying the players had undergone more than seven months of training, preparations, World Cup qualifiers, the WAFU tournament and the final competition in Morocco.
While acknowledging Obi’s congratulatory messages during the closing stages of the tournament, he called for more consistent support for Nigeria’s national teams beyond their moments of success.
“A message at the height of a team’s success is welcome, but it is not the same as sustained engagement with its preparation, welfare and development.
“Our national teams deserve consistent support from everyone through preparation, competition and setbacks, as well as when they return with trophies,” he added.
The NSC chairman invited Obi and other Nigerians interested in meeting or hosting the players to submit formal requests to the commission or the NFF to enable appropriate arrangements to be made around the team’s schedule and welfare.
He cited the example of a Nigerian businessman who sponsored a delegation to Morocco to support the Flamingos during the final and subsequently donated $50,000 to the players on the pitch.
Dikko said the donation was made without the businessman seeking media attention or political recognition.
The commission’s chairman also addressed Obi’s earlier allegation that he was prevented from visiting Super Eagles players in the dressing room after Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 25, 2025.
Dikko, who said he attended the match alongside Obi and the governors of Lagos, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states, maintained that the players had declined to receive visitors after the match because they wanted to hold an immediate meeting among themselves following the unfavourable result.
“Consequently, no dignitary or official, including myself, the Governors and top officials of NFF visited the players in the dressing room.
“Therefore, Mr Obi cannot claim, more than a year later, that he had somehow been singled out on that occasion for mistreatment by anybody and/or blocked from seeing the players,” he said.
He added that the encounter was governed by strict FIFA protocols, which required security officials to regulate access to technical areas, including dressing rooms.
According to Dikko, only accredited individuals were permitted into such areas, while other visitors were required to apply through the football federation and obtain prior clearance.
He warned that violations of the regulations could attract fines against the NFF or result in the stadium being barred from hosting further matches.
Dikko maintained that football remained a national asset capable of uniting Nigerians across ethnic, religious and political differences.
“Football is our National Asset that brings Nigerians together across ethnic, religious, and political differences and, indeed, breaks all our fault lines.
“Our national teams belong to every Nigerian.
“The Flamingos have earned the country’s admiration, and their World Cup victory should strengthen our unity. It must not become another platform for partisan division,” he added.
The Flamingos made history on Saturday by defeating Japan 2-1 in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, becoming the first African country to win the competition.
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