iDeemlawful–The Federal Government has announced that the Super Eagles’ match bonuses from the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have successfully passed all required regulatory approvals.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed that the funds would reflect in the players’ domiciliary accounts “starting today or tomorrow”.
iDeemlawful earlier reported that on Wednesday, the Super Eagles threatened to boycott their trip to the host city of their AFCON quarter-final encounter due to unpaid allowances.
Nigeria is scheduled to face Algeria on Saturday in Marrakesh, located about five hours from their current base. The team was billed to travel from Fez to Marrakesh on Thursday.
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However, players and officials were reportedly prepared to skip the journey unless the outstanding bonuses were settled.
The Super Eagles are still owed payments for all four matches played so far in the competition.
In November 2024, the team similarly boycotted training during the African World Cup qualifiers over unpaid allowances. Days later, Nigeria lost to DR Congo, ending its hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Addressing the latest situation, Uzoka-Anite explained that the delay resulted from the “conversion process to move funds into foreign currency”, which she said aligned with the players’ preference.
She noted that the process had now been accelerated and that the “final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently in flight”.
“The Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have successfully streamlined the foreign exchange processing to ensure our players are rewarded without further delay.
“Going forward, the process will be fully streamlined to ensure faster and more predictable disbursements aligned with international best practice,” she said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, stated that all financial entitlements owed to Super Eagles players and officials had been resolved.
Dikko spoke after reports emerged that players were considering boycotting training and travel to Marrakesh ahead of Saturday’s clash with Algeria.
Speaking to NAN, he said President Bola Tinubu approved the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 budget in November 2025, ensuring coordination among the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation, and the players.
“The president approved the entire AFCON budget on November 14, 2025. From our end, the funding has been fully cleared,” Dikko said.
He clarified, however, that approval and payment processing are separate steps, reassuring players that the funds had been authorised and were being disbursed.
“Approving the money is one thing, processing it is another, but the players know the funds have been approved,” he added.
The Super Eagles have recorded four straight wins at the tournament and remain the highest-scoring team with 12 goals. They topped Group C and secured a dominant 4–0 victory over Mozambique in the second round.
The winner of Nigeria’s quarter-final clash with Algeria will advance to face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-finals.