The Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has described former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, as a “pathological liar” over his claim that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting members of Nigeria’s victorious Flamingos team at the Abuja airport.
Obi had accused NFF officials of stopping him from welcoming the U-17 women’s national team following their return from Morocco, where they won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
However, Hon. Olopade dismissed the former governor’s account, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the team’s arrival and exit from the airport made it impossible for Obi to have encountered the players as claimed.
According to the NSC boss, the Flamingos landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 5:30 a.m., when it was still dark and domestic flight check-in activities had yet to commence.
He further explained that the players passed through immigration and exited through the international airport’s underground exit, insisting that Obi, who claimed to have been at the domestic terminal to board an Enugu-bound flight, could not have seen the team from his location.
“The plane landed at 5:30 a.m. It was still very dark. No local flight was checking in at that time. Even if they were checking in, there was no way Obi would have seen those children from where he was at the local airport,” Olopade said.
Olopade also challenged the former governor’s recollection of an earlier encounter involving Nigerian footballers during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in March 2025.
Obi had claimed that he was prevented from greeting the Super Eagles after Nigeria’s match despite being welcomed by the state governor at the VIP stand.
However, Olopade argued that access to players during FIFA-organised matches is governed by established protocols, regardless of an individual’s political position.
“In Uyo, for those who know FIFA-organised matches, you cannot say because you are Obi or anyone else, you want to go and see the players in their dressing room. There are protocols,” he said.
The NSC director-general also questioned the consistency between Obi’s criticism of the incident and his advocacy for orderliness and good governance.
“This is a man who says he wants to govern on orderliness, yet he is being disorderly,” he added.
He further cautioned against allowing the disagreement to overshadow the Flamingos’ historic achievement, insisting that the players deserved to remain at the centre of the national conversation.
“We should stop all this nonsense. Everything should not be about politics. He cannot take away the shine and glory of these girls,” Olopade said.
Obi had made the original allegation in a statement released on Monday, November 9, titled “A New Dimension of Toxic Politics in Nigeria”.
The former governor said he arrived at Abuja airport at about 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he noticed the returning Flamingos. He then instructed his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and congratulate the players.
Obi said he was informed that NFF officials had refused permission for him to approach the team.
“I was informed that officials of the Nigerian Football Federation had refused and had requested that I not approach,” he said.
He also recalled the alleged incident in Uyo in March 2025, claiming that officials had prevented him from greeting the Super Eagles after the match despite his earlier welcome at the VIP stand.
The dispute comes after the Flamingos made history in Morocco, defeating Japan 2–1 in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final to become the first African nation to win the competition.
