\u201cAnd you know, you understand what it means? I was a player. You are in a dressing room and you are hearing from your President talking to you. That, for me, is more important. That\u2019s what the President does,\u201d Shaibu said.\n<\/p>\n
When asked whether NFF officials did the right thing by preventing Obi from welcoming the players, Shaibu said,\u00a0\u201cMr Obi can stand at the airport and wave to them like every other person did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaibu also recounted an encounter with Enyimba players at an airport, saying he waved at them and allowed them to continue their journey after being told they were travelling.\n<\/p>\n
He explained that teams sometimes have instructions restricting players from interacting with people while travelling, adding that such arrangements should be respected.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was actively involved in sports, there are times that our system will say, look, don\u2019t talk to anybody, just wave. And so when such instructions come, we have to follow,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Shaibu added that teams had different ways of managing interactions with players, depending on the circumstances.\n<\/p>\n
The controversy followed Obi\u2019s allegation that NFF officials stopped him from greeting the Flamingos when they returned to Abuja on Monday after winning the FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup in Morocco.<\/p>\n Obi said he arrived at the airport at about 7 am to board a flight to Enugu and asked his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet the players. He alleged that he was told the officials had refused his request and warned that they could lose their jobs if he approached the team.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.punchng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/14134036\/Peter-Obi2_1789389636.webp\")