President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Olusegun Dada, has rejected Peter Obi’s claim that he was blocked from greeting the Nigeria Under-17 girls’ team at the airport, describing it as an attempt to politicise national sports teams.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Dada said the opposition’s repeated efforts to drag national teams and institutions into politics were highly distasteful.
He argued that athletes, including the Under-17 girls, represent the entire Federal Republic of Nigeria and not any political party or personal ambition.
According to him, protocol guidelines around national teams exist to protect young athletes from political exploitation, commercial distractions and unnecessary media attention while they are on official duty.
He said turning standard security and administrative procedures into a story of political victimisation undermines the unity that sports are meant to promote.
Addressing the former Anambra State governor directly, Dada urged Obi to reflect on his conduct and stop using unverified hearsay to build a victim narrative.
He added that the athletes should be left to concentrate on winning for Nigeria, free from political theatre.
The reaction followed Obi’s earlier statement, in which he said he arrived at the airport at 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu and found the team had just landed and was preparing to board its vehicle.
He said he asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and welcome the players, but was told officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had declined and asked him not to approach, saying they would lose their jobs if he did.
Obi said it was not the first such incident, recalling that on March 25, 2025, he was prevented from greeting players after the World Cup qualifier in Uyo, despite being warmly received by the governor at the VIP stand.
He described the situation as a sign of growing toxic politics since 2025 and called for a Nigeria free of hostility, intimidation and discrimination, where unity and mutual respect take precedence over political differences.
