The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has accused officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of preventing him from welcoming and congratulating Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, at the Abuja airport.

Obi made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday, titled, “A New Dimension of Toxic Politics in Nigeria,” in which he expressed concern over what he described as the growing politicisation of national affairs and intolerance of political differences.

According to the former Anambra State governor, he arrived at the Abuja airport at about 7 am on Monday to catch a flight to Enugu when he encountered the Flamingos, who had just returned from Morocco after winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

He said he instructed his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could approach the players to congratulate them on their historic achievement.

However, he alleged that he was subsequently informed that NFF officials had rejected his request and warned against allowing him to approach the team.

Obi described the incident as another disturbing example of how political differences were allegedly being allowed to interfere with ordinary national interactions.

He recalled a similar experience on March 25, 2025, during a World Cup qualifying match in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, when he was allegedly prevented from greeting Nigerian players after the match.

He said that although the state governor had earlier welcomed him at the VIP stand, officials later stopped him from approaching the players, claiming they could lose their jobs if they allowed him to do so.

Expressing disappointment over the incidents, Obi said Nigeria was increasingly being consumed by what he described as toxic politics, warning that the trend was undermining national unity and mutual respect.

He called for a country where political affiliations would not determine how citizens interact, stressing the need to prioritise shared humanity, mutual respect and national cohesion.

The NFF had yet to publicly respond to Obi’s allegation as of the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the Flamingos returned to Abuja on Monday following their 2-1 victory over Japan in Saturday’s final in Morocco, securing Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.

The victory also made Nigeria the first African country to win the competition.

Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has appointed popular Nollywood actress, Destiny Etiko, as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Youth Engagement and Creative Economy.

Etiko announced her appointment in a post on her Instagram page on Monday, November 9, 2026, expressing gratitude to the governor for the opportunity to serve in his administration.

Describing the appointment as a great honour, the actress pledged her loyalty, dedication and commitment to Mbah’s vision and the development of Enugu State.

“With profound gratitude and humility, I am honoured to announce my appointment as Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Governor of Enugu State on Youth Engagement and Creative Economy,” she stated.

Etiko expressed appreciation to Mbah for the confidence reposed in her, promising to discharge her responsibilities with dedication and a determination to make meaningful contributions to the state.

“My heartfelt appreciation goes to His Excellency, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for this confidence and opportunity to serve.

“I pledge my unwavering loyalty, dedication and commitment to your administration’s vision and the good people of Enugu State,” she said.

The actress further said she would approach the assignment with humility and work towards creating opportunities for young people while contributing to the growth of the state’s creative economy.

“I embrace this responsibility with pride, humility and a determination to make a meaningful impact,” she added.

She concluded her message with a call for collective efforts to transform talents into opportunities and translate the state government’s vision into reality.

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you, Enugu State. Together, let us turn talent into opportunity and vision into reality!” she said.

•  Pensioners hail governor as promise keeper

• Mbah: No retiree should go to bed hungry

Enugu State pensioners under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) have hailed Governor Peter Mbah for keeping his campaign promise to clear legacy arrears, describing their decades of disappointment after serving their fatherland as a harrowing experience.

The pensioners spoke as retirees started receiving their gratuities dating back to the year 2000, with some also extending to the military era, saying the development had restored life to their bodies.

The Chairman, Enugu State chapter of NUP, Ikechukwu Ekere, confirmed the development at the weekend, describing it as “an emotional moment for pensioners, many of whom had long given up hope of receiving their gratuities in their lifetime.”

“Yes, I can confirm to you that our members have started receiving the alerts. Governor Mbah is a promise keeper; he has done it again and we can’t thank him enough,” he said.

In the same vein, the Caretaker Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Local Government Staff Pensions Board Branch, Kenneth Ugwueze, told journalists that the development had restored hope and joy in many homes, saying that Mbah had, once again, proven himself as a leader who could be trusted.

“You know what it means for a governor to pay debts incurred by many governors before him? It takes a large quantity of milk of human kindness. We are happy to see a day like this in our lifetime. We will continue to pray for him.

“We are also grateful and happy with the new dimensions brought in by our governor in pension administration, especially in the local government system.

“Before now, local government workers and primary school teachers who retired had to wait for two years before receiving their pensions. But since the conclusion of the verification exercise in July 2024, no pensioner in the local government system has been denied pension. We have been receiving our pensions as and when due.

“Now that our people have started receiving alerts for their gratuity, it is a thing of joy,” he said.

Some beneficiaries of the ongoing payments also expressed gratitude to the governor, describing the development as a rekindling of hope after years and devades of waiting. They said previous governments had not paid them even in the days of excess crude revenues.

Mr. Luke Obi Ezea, who retired in 2014, said he had since resigned himself to fate and put everything in the hands of God.

“I put in 35 years in service. Already, I had put everything in the hands of God because previous governors had made promises, but to no avail. They were just empty promises at the end of their eight years. But Peter Mbah is an action governor and keeps his word,” he stated.

Mr. Sunday Nwadi, a 2015 retiree, described Mbah as a godly and listening governor who does not play politics with the welfare of his people.

“I am enjoying today because, apart from this gratuity, he is not owing monthly pensions. He is up to date. He is not like the others, who would owe us pensions for many months. Nothing will happen to Mbah. He is returning for a second term.”

Susanna Emehelu, whose husband retired in 2013, said the man had been sick for a long time, and they had been hoping against hope that the gratuity would come to help ameliorate their challenges.

“When I broke the good news to him, he was so happy and asked me to rush to the office to confirm. Now, he is so happy that he would eat the fruits of his labour in his lifetime. May God bless our governor,” she stated.

Mr. Paul Ozoeze, a 2010 retiree, said the gratuity payment had restored life to his body, noting that it had been nearly 20 years of suffering for him.

Meanwhile, the Accountant-General of Enugu State, Mr. Tony Okenwa, recalled that Mbah had always insisted during discussions leading up to the verification and payment of backlogs that no senior citizen should go to bed hungry.

“These are old debts. Some of them date back even to the military era. But the governor has said that no retiree will stay without receiving his or her pension and gratuity, and he is very passionate about it.

“Whenever I went to him, he would ask: ‘Do you mean that people retire and then don’t go home with their gratuity?’

“He could not understand how somebody would work for many years, retire and still not receive what he had earned,” Okenwa said.

He said the State Executive Council, after several layers of verification, approved N32bn, with the governor releasing an initial N10bn, assuring that the releases would continue until the entire liabilities were cleared.