Keyamo accuses Obi of hypocrisy over U-17 team airport snub

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has fired back at Peter Obi after the former presidential candidate alleged NFF officials blocked him from greeting Nigeria's victorious U-17 girls' team at the airport this morning. Obi, in a post titled "A New Dimension of Toxic Politics in Nigeria," said he arrived at 7 a.m. to catch a flight to Enugu and asked his protocol officer Jackie Wayas to request access to the players. NFF officials reportedly refused, warning they could lose their jobs if Obi approached the team. Obi cited a similar incident in Uyo on March 25, 2025, after a World Cup qualifier, calling it evidence of worsening political hostility.

Keyamo, responding on X, questioned Obi's motives: "In all your public vituperations, you often say things akin to the fact that 'Nigeria is finished'. So, why are you now so anxious to associate with a success story of the country or this government? Just for photo ops? You see the hypocrisy?" The exchange highlights the deepening fracture between Obi's camp and the Tinubu administration, with the NFF caught in the crossfire.

For citizens, this raises a concrete question: when politicians clash over ceremonial access to national teams, does it reflect genuine concern for athletes or calculated visibility? The U-17 girls' achievement—qualifying for the World Cup—risks being overshadowed by the political theatre around it.

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/11/09/nigeria-is-finished-yet-you-want-photo-ops-keyamo-tackles-peter-obi/