{
  "id": 19328746,
  "title": "Obi could have waved at Flamingos like other Nigerians — NIS DG",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/obi-could-have-waved-at-flamingos-like-other-nigerians-nis-dg-19328746",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-10T12:20:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/obi-could-have-waved-at-flamingos-like-other-nigerians-nis-dg/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "National Institute for Sports Director-General, Philip Shaibu, has stated that presidential candidate Peter Obi could have waved at the victorious Flamingos like any other Nigerian during the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. During an interview, Shaibu debunked claims that NFF officials prevented Obi from greeting the Nigerian Under-17 women's team at the Abuja airport. He argued that the support given to the team before and during the tournament held more value than celebrating the victory later on. Shaibu also mentioned that President Bola Tinubu had personally called the players before, during, and after the tournament, emphasizing that such personal communication was more significant than the post-victory celebrations. Shaibu recounted his own experience of waving at Enyimba players at an airport and letting them continue their journey, explaining that teams sometimes have instructions to restrict player interactions while traveling. The controversy arose after Obi claimed that NFF officials stopped him from greeting the Flamingos, with the NFF Chairman, Shehu Dikko, denying these allegations. Dikko said that Obi was not seen near the players or around the international terminal due to their demanding competition and the players' need to be considered.",
  "summary": "The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, Philip Shaibu, has said the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, could have… Read More: https://punchng.com/obi-could-have-waved-at-flamingos-like-other-nigerians-nis-dg/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}