The National Sports Commission, NSC, has rejected the narrative by former presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi that the Flamingos were denied the opportunity to interact with him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, describing his portrayal of the incident as an attempt to politicise the team’s historic World Cup victory.

The Commission, in a strongly worded press statement signed by its Chairman, Shehu Dikko, on November 9, 2026, said the Flamingos, Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s National Team, who returned from Morocco as FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup champions, deserve to be celebrated by all Nigerians without dragging their achievement into partisan controversy.

Shehu Dikko explained that the NSC and officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, who accompanied and received the team at the airport have reported that they did not see Mr. Obi anywhere near or around the players at the time of their arrival, contrary to claims that he was deliberately blocked from seeing them.

According to the account provided by the officials, two individuals wearing Peter Obi campaign face caps and other branded campaign attire approached the NFF and NSC officials to request that Mr. Obi should be allowed to meet and take photographs with the players, an arrangement that would also likely involve campaign materials and political publicity.

The statement noted that the players had just arrived in the early hours of that morning aboard an Air Maroc flight at about 5:30 a.m. and were visibly tired, exhausted and fatigued after their long journey from Morocco and a very demanding and energy-sapping World Cup competition that lasted for several weeks.

The officials, in exercising their professional judgment and discretion, therefore declined the sudden, unplanned and impromptu meeting and photograph request at that time, taking into consideration the welfare, health and immediate comfort of the players, as well as the circumstances of the request which came without any prior notice or formal arrangement.

The Commission stressed that nothing in the account provided by the officials supports the suggestion or insinuation that any official’s job was at risk for allowing or disallowing the meeting, describing such claims as misleading, sensational and capable of creating unnecessary tension and animosity within the sports family.

The statement also pointed out that Mr. Obi himself stated that he was at the airport to board a flight to Enugu, which would ordinarily depart through the domestic terminal, while the Flamingos, returning from Morocco on an international flight, arrived through the international terminal of the airport.

It noted that at the international terminal, airport officials, passengers, well-wishers and members of the public welcomed and celebrated the Flamingos without any distinction based on political affiliation, ethnic background or any other consideration, as Nigerians present expressed their joy and support for the team.

Indeed, according to the NSC, Nigerians present as the team arrived were able to freely express their excitement, taking pictures with the players, dancing, shaking hands and cheering them as they made their way to their buses, and this moment of joy and national pride was duly captured by the media present to cover the team’s arrival.

The Commission noted that in all the video footage and pictures captured by the media at the airport, Mr. Obi was never captured anywhere near the team or even at the vicinity of the international wing of the airport, which further contradicts the claim that he was denied access to the players.

The Commission expressed strong exception to Mr. Obi’s decision to present the episode as evidence of political intimidation, victimisation and exclusion without first seeking clarification or verification from the Nigeria Football Federation or the National Sports Commission before going public with such a weighty allegation.

It said turning a simple request for an unscheduled interaction, which was declined in the interest of the players’ welfare, into a toxic narrative of political victimisation shifts attention away from the players’ remarkable achievement and reduces their moment of glory to an individual political grievance and partisan showmanship.

The statement further noted that these young champions, who have just made the country proud on the world stage, should not be drawn into any form of political controversy, and they never deserved to have their historic victory overshadowed by such regrettable actions and subsequent media interviews deliberately weaponising a non-issue for political gain.

The NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, therefore urged and advised Mr. Peter Obi to reflect deeply on his actions and to offer an unreserved apology to these young girls for souring their moment of glory with his actions, statements and media engagements which have unnecessarily politicised their victory.

He emphasised that the Flamingos are minors, under the age of 17, and have a dedicated safeguarding official within the technical crew whose responsibility is to protect and guide the players and ensure their welfare, dignity and protection from undue pressure and exploitation remains central to every engagement.

This responsibility, according to him, includes managing access to the players and ensuring that all interactions, including planned photograph sessions, courtesy visits and other engagements, are appropriate, timely, and within the regulations guiding the management of national teams, especially minor teams like the Flamingos.

Dikko stressed that young athletes must not be used to suggest allegiance to any political party, political figure or partisan interest, and that these considerations and safeguarding principles apply equally to public officials, political figures, private individuals and other members of the public who wish to interact with the team.

He noted that the journey of the Flamingos to World Cup glory did not begin when they reached the final in Morocco, but started more than seven months ago, through rigorous preparation, intensive training, World Cup qualifiers, the WAFU B tournament and finally the World Cup itself in Morocco.

The Commission acknowledged Mr. Obi’s congratulatory messages to the team in the closing stages of the competition, describing them as welcome, but noted that a message at the height of a team’s success is not the same as sustained engagement with its preparation, welfare and development throughout its journey.

It said the Commission would welcome the same level of public attention from Mr. Obi and other well-meaning Nigerians to the hard work, sacrifices, funding and behind-the-scenes efforts that go into preparing national teams for major competitions, not just when they return with trophies and national acclaim.

The NSC therefore invited Mr. Obi, and any other Nigerian who wishes to meet or host the Flamingos, to contact the NFF or NSC with a formal request so that suitable arrangements can be made around the team’s programme, welfare, and most importantly, to ensure every activity is implemented within the rules and safeguarding guidelines.

It noted that there is ample opportunity for well-meaning Nigerians to translate goodwill into practical, tangible support for these players and the programmes developing the next generation of Nigerian athletes, rather than seeking to use their victory for political capital and media attention.

For instance, the statement revealed that immediately after the final match in Morocco, a patriotic Nigerian businessman who had sponsored a delegation to Morocco to support the team in the final further donated a huge sum of $50,000 to the team right on the pitch without seeking any media mention or attempting to take political capital out of the gesture.

The statement also addressed Mr. Obi’s other claim that he was similarly prevented from visiting the Super Eagles players last year in the dressing room after the World Cup qualifier match between Nigeria and Zimbabwe held on March 25, 2025 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, describing the claim as factually incorrect.

The NSC Chairman said he can attest to the fact that on that occasion in Uyo, he sat on the same row with Mr. Obi, as well as the Governors of Lagos, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States, among other dignitaries, and witnessed firsthand what transpired after the match which ended in an unfavourable result for Nigeria.

According to him, given the unfavourable outcome of the match, the Super Eagles players clearly expressed their unwillingness to receive any visitors in the dressing room as they wanted to hold an immediate soul-searching, private meeting among themselves, and consequently, no dignitary or official visited them.

He explained that as a result of the players’ decision, no dignitary or official, including himself, the Governors present and top officials of the NFF, visited the players in the dressing room after the match, and therefore Mr. Obi cannot claim, more than a year later, that he was singled out for mistreatment or deliberately blocked from seeing the players.

For proper context, Dikko explained that the match in Uyo was an international FIFA World Cup qualifying match governed by strict protocol arrangements implemented by FIFA, including the appointment and posting of a security official by FIFA who manages security for the match and moderates access to all technical areas.

He noted that this protocol ensures that only accredited persons have access to technical areas such as the dressing rooms on match day, and any other person must apply through the football federation and be pre-cleared in order to gain such access, as a breach of this protocol may result in fines against the federation or even banning of the stadium.

The Commission concluded by stating that football is a national asset that brings Nigerians together across ethnic, religious and political divides and indeed breaks all fault lines, and that national teams belong to every Nigerian regardless of political affiliation.

It stressed that the Flamingos have earned the country’s admiration and respect, and their World Cup victory should strengthen national unity, promote patriotism and inspire young girls across the country, and must not be allowed to become another platform for partisan division, political bickering and unnecessary controversy.