By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has assured that the Super Eagles will receive their outstanding match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before Friday, 9 January, 2026, following concerns raised by players over unpaid allowances.
In a statement issued on Thursday, 8 January, 2026. the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the payments had cleared all necessary regulatory stages and would begin reflecting in the players’ domiciliary accounts from Thursday or Friday.
She explained that the delay was linked to the process of converting funds into foreign currency, which she noted was the players’ preferred mode of payment.
Uzoka-Anite said the conversion process had now been fast-tracked, adding that final transfers to the players’ domiciliary accounts were already in progress.
She further stated that the Federal Government, working with the Central Bank of Nigeria, had streamlined foreign exchange processing to ensure that the players are paid without further delay.
According to her, measures have also been put in place to ensure faster and more predictable disbursements in line with international best practice going forward.
The assurance followed threats by the Super Eagles on Wednesday to boycott travel to the host city of their quarter-final match over unpaid allowances.
Nigeria is scheduled to face Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday in Marrakesh, a city about five hours from the team’s current base in Fez. The team is expected to travel from Fez to Marrakesh on Thursday.
However, reports indicated that the players and team officials were prepared to skip the trip unless their outstanding allowances were paid. The Super Eagles are yet to receive bonuses for all four matches they have played so far in the tournament.
The development also revived memories of a similar incident in November 2024, when the team boycotted training during the African World Cup playoffs due to accumulated unpaid allowances. Days later, Nigeria lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a defeat that ended the country’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mr Shehu Dikko, said all financial entitlements of the Super Eagles players and officials had been resolved. His comments followed reports of players threatening to boycott training and travel to Marrakesh ahead of Saturday’s clash with Algeria.
Dikko told the News Agency of Nigeria that President Bola Tinubu approved the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 budget in November 2025, bringing alignment among the National Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation and the players. He said the funding had been fully cleared from the government’s end.
He, however, clarified that approval and processing were separate stages, noting that while the funds had been approved, the disbursement process was ongoing. He assured the players that the approved funds were being released.
On the pitch, the Super Eagles have recorded an impressive run at the ongoing AFCON, winning all four of their matches so far. They are the competition’s highest-scoring team with 12 goals, having finished top of Group C and defeated Mozambique 4–0 in the second round.
The winner of Nigeria’s quarter-final match against Algeria will advance to face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-final.
