Flamingos: Omokri accuses Obi of politicising victory

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, has accused former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of politicising the Flamingos’ FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup victory by attempting to associate himself with the team’s achievement.

Omokri recalled how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Head of State Muhammadu Buhari received victorious Nigerian football teams in 2013 and 1985, respectively, amid the controversy surrounding Obi’s attempt to meet the Flamingos at the airport.

He made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday while criticising Obi over his claim that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation prevented him from greeting the Flamingos after their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup triumph.

Omokri said he was physically present with Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in February 2013, when the then President received the Super Eagles following their AFCON victory.

He argued that Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, despite their political ambitions ahead of the 2015 general election, did not attempt to bypass the protocol or politicise the team’s achievement.

“Neither General Muhammadu Buhari nor Waziri Atiku Abubakar, who had contested and lost to the then incumbent, and were planning to throw their hats in the ring with him in 2015, attempted to circumnavigate the protocol or sour the joyous national mood by politicising the situation. Rather, they commended the team and the nation,” he said.

Omokri also recalled the 1985 victory of Nigeria’s Baby Eagles, now known as the Golden Eaglets, saying they first met Buhari, who was then the military Head of State, after winning the inaugural FIFA U-16 World Championship in China.

He noted that the late businessman and politician Moshood Abiola, whom he described as one of Nigeria’s biggest contributors to sports development, particularly football, supported the team financially and morally throughout the tournament.

Omokri said Abiola’s contributions to sports were recognised in 1980 when the African Sports Journalists Union named him the Pillar of Sports in Africa.

However, he noted that despite Abiola’s support for the team, the players did not meet him first after their victory on August 11, 1985.

The ambassador also cited Spain’s reception of its national team after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying the players first met King Felipe VI before formally engaging with the media.

According to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the team’s first official stop after returning to Madrid was the Zarzuela Palace, where the King, Queen Letizia and other members of the Royal Family received the delegation before it proceeded to meet Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

“That is the convention, not only in Nigeria and Spain, but in every respectable, responsible and ordered society run by the rule of law and constitutional democracies,” Omokri said.

He argued that placing personal interests above established national protocols could be interpreted as a failure to prioritise the country’s interests.

“Placing yourself above such conventions and wanting them circumvented because of your personal agenda, itinerary, and convenience could be interpreted by reasonable people as you not putting national interest first,” he said.

Omokri further accused Obi of attempting to associate himself with a victory he did not contribute to, describing the move as opportunistic.

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“Sports should be protected from the ‘toxic’ politics of individuals who try to sow disunity at a time when football has united the nation,” he said.

He added, “Wanting to insert yourself into a victory that you did not contribute to, and a team that you did not even acknowledge until they won, is not only opportunistic, it falls beneath the standard of behaviour expected from a statesman, who should know that their first port of call should be the Head of State.”

The controversy followed Obi’s allegation that NFF officials prevented him from greeting the Flamingos when they returned to Abuja from Morocco after winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Obi said he arrived at the Abuja airport at about 7am on Monday to board a flight to Enugu when he sighted the team.

He said he asked his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and welcome the players but was informed that NFF officials had refused his request.

He also alleged that the officials warned they could lose their jobs if they allowed him to approach the players, describing the incident as another example of what he called toxic politics.

However, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, rejected Obi’s account, saying officials who accompanied and received the Flamingos did not see the former governor around the players or the international terminal.

Dikko said two individuals wearing Obi’s campaign face caps and other campaign attire approached officials to request a meeting and photographs with the players.

He explained that the request was declined because it was made without prior arrangement and the players were tired after their journey from Morocco.

He also disputed Obi’s claim that officials risked losing their jobs over the matter and urged the former governor to apologise to the players, arguing that the controversy had shifted attention away from their achievement.

Similarly, the Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Philip Shaibu, said Obi could have waved at the players like other Nigerians at the airport rather than seeking a meeting with them.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday, Shaibu argued that the support given to athletes before and during competitions was more important than seeking to celebrate with them after victories.

He also maintained that President Bola Tinubu had supported the team during the tournament.

The Director-General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, also accused two men claiming to be Obi’s protocol officers of breaching security procedures while attempting to arrange a meeting with the Flamingos.

Olopade said officials did not see Obi at the airport when the team returned, adding that the two men approached officials while the players were being escorted into buses after their flight.

The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in the final in Rabat, Morocco, on November 7 to win their first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title, becoming the first African country to win the competition.