The Presidency and former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad have criticized Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi over his account of an alleged incident involving the national Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos. Obi claimed that officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting the players at an airport on Monday, alleging that they were warned they could lose their jobs if they allowed him to approach the team.
In a statement released on Monday, Dada Olusegun, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, accused opposition politicians of attempting to politicize national sports teams and institutions. Olusegun emphasized that the Flamingos and other national athletes represent all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation. He defended the established protocols for national teams, stating they are designed to protect young athletes from political exploitation, commercial distractions, and unnecessary media attention while they perform official duties.
“To spin standard security and administrative protocols into a narrative of political victimisation is a disservice to the unity that sport is meant to foster in our country,” Olusegun said.
Olusegun further described Obi’s account as an attempt to portray standard security and administrative procedures as political victimization. He accused the former Anambra State governor of relying on unverified information to create a victim narrative and urged him to allow the players to concentrate on representing Nigeria.
Bashir Ahmad, the National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response of the City Boy Movement, also disagreed with Obi’s characterization of the event. Ahmad argued that being denied access to greet the players did not automatically amount to political persecution, noting that protocol, security, and administrative considerations must have been involved. He urged Obi to prioritize facts and responsibility, stating that the country is bigger than any individual or political party.
Obi had previously explained that he was at the airport on Monday preparing to board a flight to Enugu when he noticed the Flamingos arriving and preparing to board a vehicle. According to Obi, he asked his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to inquire if he could greet the players, but NFF officials objected, warning of potential job losses for the staff involved. As of the time of filing, the Nigeria Football Federation had not publicly responded to Obi’s allegations.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
