TWO ministers in the Nigerian government, John Enoh for sports and Yusuf Tuggar for foreign affairs, have added their voices to the condemnation of the now deleted TikTok video on Napoli’s official account trolling Victor Osimhen.
The video, which was posted on Tuesday and left online for hours, depicted Osimhen as a crybaby for taking and losing a penalty in the 0-0 draw with Bologna last weekend.
The post caused severe backlash from fans all over the world and Osimhen reacted by taking down all Napoli-related posts on his Instagram account.
Although the heat has down died as Napoli have insisted they meant no harm and Osimhen featured for the Serie A champions and scored in the 4-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday, the top government officials have joined the calls for clubs to treat players with more respect.
“Over the last weekend, the developments arriving from Naples regarding striker Victor Osimhen made me very sad,” sports minister John Enoh wrote on Twitter yesterday.
“My office is working hard to reach Osimhen first-hand and understand what the problems are, to establish the facts clearly.
“I am also in contact with the Foreign Minister and the Nigerian Ambassador to the Italian Republic.
“We are using diplomatic channels to explore the issue with Italy. Under this administration, we are committed to ensuring that our athletes are afforded the respect they deserve and that they are not exposed to injustice, discrimination, and unfair teasing that could be detrimental to their careers.”
Osimhen is idolised by Napoli fans due to his importance to the club’s recent success, as the Nigeria international scored a league-high 26 goals last season to lead them to their first Serie A title in 33 years.
He had a mini-drought of three scoreless games this term but has still netted four goals in six Serie A outings.
The prolific 24-year-old has so far refused to make a public comment on the situation but was reportedly unhappy with the club before the distasteful TikTok video.
Foreign affairs minister Yusuf Tuggar said in an official statement also issued yesterday that Nigerian sportsmen and women across the world must be treated with dignity.
“When we go about our duties, we should always remember Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” the minister said.
“Napoli did not act in the spirit of brotherhood by the mocking of their star player after Victor Osimhen had helped the club to win the Series A championship last season.”
Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille in September 2020 for around €80 million and his contract is due to expire in 2025.
Despite negotiations that have been going on for months, he has not signed a new deal with the club.
