Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi has alleged that officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting the country’s Under-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, at an airport on Monday. Obi claims the officials issued threats that they would lose their jobs if he approached the players, an incident he described as evidence of a growing culture of "toxic politics" in the country.
The former Anambra State governor disclosed the incident in a post on the social media platform X. He stated that he arrived at the airport around 7:00 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he spotted the Flamingos, who had just arrived and were preparing to depart. Obi said he asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to inquire if he could welcome the team, but was informed that NFF officials had refused the request.
“I was informed that officials of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had refused and had requested that I not approach them because, if I did, they would all lose their jobs,” Obi wrote.
Obi noted that this was not the first time he had allegedly been barred from interacting with members of a Nigerian national team. He recalled a similar incident on March 25, 2025, during a World Cup qualifying match in Uyo. While he stated that the local state governor had warmly received him at the VIP stand, he alleged that after the match, he was prevented from greeting the players by officials who cited the same job-loss threats.
Expressing concern over what he described as a deteriorating political climate since 2025, Obi argued that the nation should not tolerate hostility or discrimination based on political affiliation. He emphasized that the future of Nigeria must be built on unity and mutual respect rather than political differences.
“The new Nigeria we aspire to build must have no room for hostility, intimidation, or discrimination, regardless of political affiliation. It must be a Nigeria in which unity, mutual respect, and our shared humanity take precedence over political differences,” he added.
The Flamingos arrived in Abuja on Monday following their 2-1 victory over Japan in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held in Rabat, Morocco.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
