The National Sports Commission (NSC) has rejected a comment by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, that officials refused to allow him meet Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, at the Abuja airport because they feared they would lose their jobs.
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.
In a statement on Monday, NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko said two individuals wearing Obi’s campaign face caps and other campaign attire approached officials asking for permission for Obi to meet the players. Dikko said the proposed meeting could have involved campaign materials.
Dikko said officials of the NSC and the Nigeria Football Federation who accompanied and received the team reported that they did not see Obi near or around the players at the airport.
According to him, the two individuals approached the officials to request that Obi meet and take photographs with the players.
The statement read, “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.”
Dikko explained that the officials declined the request because the players had just arrived from Morocco at about 5:30 am aboard an Air Maroc flight and were tired after their journey and a demanding competition.
“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.
Dikko explained that Obi had said he was at the airport to board a flight to Enugu, which would ordinarily depart from the domestic terminal, while the Flamingos arrived through the international terminal.
Dikko said airport officials and passengers welcomed and celebrated the players without discrimination based on political or other affiliations.
He added that Nigerians present at the airport took photographs, danced and shook hands with the players 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.
The NSC chairman criticised Obi for presenting the incident as evidence of political intimidation without first seeking clarification from the commission or the NFF.
He said, “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.”
Dikko urged the former governor to apologise to the players, saying their moment of celebration should not have been overshadowed by the controversy.
“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,” he 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 every engagement, including planned photograph sessions.
“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.
The NSC chairman also said the players’ achievement was the result of more than seven months of preparation, training, World Cup qualifiers, the WAFU tournament and the competition in Morocco.
He acknowledged Obi’s congratulatory messages during the closing stages of the competition but called for more consistent support for the country’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,” Dikko said.
He invited Obi and other Nigerians interested in meeting or hosting the players to submit formal requests to the NFF or NSC for appropriate arrangements to be made around the team’s programme and welfare.
Dikko also 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 team on the pitch.
He said the donation was made without seeking media attention or political recognition.
The NSC chairman also addressed Obi’s claim 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, said the players had declined to receive visitors after the match.
He explained that the players wanted to hold an immediate meeting among themselves following the match’s unfavourable outcome.
“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 match was governed by strict FIFA protocols, which required security officials to regulate access to technical areas, including dressing rooms.
According to Dikko, only accredited persons were permitted access to such areas, while other visitors were required to apply through the football federation and obtain prior clearance.
He warned that breaches of the protocols could attract fines against the NFF or lead to the stadium being barred from hosting further matches.
Dikko said football remained a national asset capable of bringing Nigerians together across ethnic, religious and political differences.
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