Presidency criticises Obi over claim NFF blocked Flamingos greeting, warns against politicising sports

The Presidency has responded to Peter Obi’s assertion that Nigeria Football Federation officials stopped him from greeting players of the national Under-17 women’s team, the Flamingos. Obi is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress. In a statement issued on Monday, Nov. 9, Dada Olusegun, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, said Obi was trying to bring politics into national sports teams and institutions. Olusegun made the comment in a quote tweet of Obi’s post on X. He wrote: “The constant attempt by the opposition to politicize our national sports teams and institutions is highly distasteful. Our national athletes, including the Under-17 girls' team, represent the entire Federal Republic of Nigeria, not any specific political party or individual ambition. Protocol guidelines around national teams are designed strictly to protect young athletes from political exploitation, commercial distractions, and unnecessary media circuses while on official duty. To spin standard security and administrative protocols into a narrative of political victimization is a disservice to the unity that sports are meant to foster in our country. Mr Peter Obi, I hope you will reflect on your manipulative way of life and stop weaponizing unverified hearsay to build a victim narrative. Let our athletes focus on winning for Nigeria, free from political theater. Thank you.”