Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad took to X on Monday to explain why Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi could not greet the country’s Under‑17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, before President Bola Tinubu.
Ahmad said that only the President has the privilege of welcoming a national team that has won a World Cup back into the country. “You simply cannot have the privilege of welcoming home a national team that has won a World Cup ahead of the President, because that responsibility belongs to the nation,” he wrote.
The comment follows Obi’s claim that officials of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) blocked him from greeting the victorious team in Enugu upon their arrival. Obi had suggested the team had been abandoned, a claim Ahmad rebuts.
“They are not abandoned players. They are champions who have made the entire country proud and deserve to be celebrated with the honour and recognition befitting their historic achievement, not on the tarmac. Our champions deserve better,” Ahmad added.
The Flamingos, who earned international acclaim after winning the U‑17 Women’s World Cup, returned to Nigeria to celebrate their success. The debate highlights the limits of presidential protocol and the role of political figures in national sporting celebrations.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
