Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has explained why former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, cannot take precedence over President Bola Tinubu in welcoming Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, back to the country.
Ahmad argued that Obi, being a private citizen and not the sitting President, does not have the privilege of officially welcoming the national team ahead of Tinubu.
He made the clarification in a post on his X account on Monday, following Obi’s allegation that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting the team upon their arrival in Enugu.
Obi had reportedly expressed displeasure over the incident, accusing NFF officials of blocking him from welcoming the victorious players.
Reacting, Ahmad maintained that the Flamingos were not abandoned players who required Obi’s intervention, stressing that their historic achievement deserved recognition at the highest national level.
According to him, welcoming a national team that has won a World Cup is a responsibility that belongs to the nation and should be accorded the appropriate protocol.
“Just to add this, as a private citizen, 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.
“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 wrote.
The exchange has drawn attention to the protocol surrounding the reception of national sports teams and the recognition of athletes who bring international honours to Nigeria.
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