Nigeria: National Sports Commission Disputes Peter Obi's Account of Flamingos Airport Experience

What the report says

The National Sports Commission has pushed back against Peter Obi’s account of an airport encounter with Nigeria’s under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, in Abuja. In a statement reported by Premium Times and distributed by AllAfrica, NSC chairman Shehu Dikko said officials did not block Mr Obi from greeting the players and that they were not aware of him being near the team when it arrived from Morocco early that morning.

According to the commission’s version, two people in campaign-branded clothing asked for an unplanned meeting and photographs with the players, but officials declined because no prior arrangement had been made and the team was tired after travel and a major tournament. Dikko said the concern was to safeguard the minors and avoid drawing them into political activity. He also said the Flamingos arrived through the international terminal around 5:30 a.m., while Mr Obi’s claim about heading to Enugu would have placed him at the domestic terminal.

Dikko further challenged Obi’s reference to a similar incident after Nigeria’s 2025 World Cup qualifying match against Zimbabwe in Uyo, saying access rules applied to everyone and that FIFA security protocols limited entry to sensitive areas. The NSC said any visits to the team should be arranged formally through the commission or the Nigeria Football Federation.

The dispute comes days after the Flamingos’ historic win at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, where they became the first African team to claim the title. The commission said the achievement should be treated as a unifying moment rather than a political argument.