Flamingos: NSC Rejects Obi’s Claims, Demands Apology

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has rejected former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi’s account of an incident involving Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The commission also demanded an unreserved apology from Obi, accusing him of politicising the team’s historic FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup triumph.

In a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, and signed by its chairman, Shehu Dikko, the NSC disputed Obi’s allegation that officials prevented him from greeting the players because they feared losing their jobs.

Obi had said he arrived at the airport at about 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he noticed the returning team. He reportedly asked his protocol officer to find out whether he could greet the players but was informed that officials had declined the request and warned against allowing him to approach them.

However, Dikko said NSC and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials who received the team reported that they did not see Obi near the players.

According to the commission, two individuals wearing Obi’s campaign face caps and other campaign-branded clothing approached officials to request a meeting and photographs involving the former governor and the players.

Dikko explained that the request was declined because the players had arrived from Morocco at approximately 5:30 a.m. aboard an Air Maroc flight and were exhausted after their journey and competition.

He added that no prior arrangement had been made for Obi to receive the team.

The NSC chairman also noted that Obi was travelling through the domestic terminal, while the Flamingos arrived through the international terminal, where members of the public and airport officials welcomed the players.

Dikko maintained that nothing in the officials’ account supported the allegation that their jobs were threatened.

He criticised Obi for presenting the incident as political victimisation without first seeking clarification from the commission or the NFF.

The chairman subsequently urged the former governor to apologise to the players, stressing that the team members are minors whose welfare, dignity and protection must guide all interactions with them.

Dikko also addressed Obi’s claim that he was prevented from visiting Super Eagles players in their dressing room after Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying match against Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 25, 2025.

He said the players had requested privacy to hold an internal meeting following the match and that no dignitary, including government officials and NFF representatives, entered the dressing room.

The Flamingos made history by defeating Japan 2-1 in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, becoming the first African team to win the competition.

The NSC said the achievement should unite Nigerians across political, ethnic and religious differences rather than become a subject of partisan controversy.