A presidential aide, Mr Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, over his comments on the alleged non-payment of match bonuses to the Super Eagles.
Mr Onanuga, who serves as Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, reacted to a post made by Mr Obi on X (formerly Twitter), in which the former governor condemned the Federal Government and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over reports that the Super Eagles had threatened not to travel to Marrakech for their next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match against Algeria unless outstanding bonuses were paid.
Mr Obi described the situation as an embarrassment to Nigeria, lamenting the failure to fulfil agreed obligations to the national team. He questioned the country’s priorities, noting that while government agencies and political allies reportedly enjoy debt write-offs and large-scale spending on major projects, the government appeared unable to pay basic match bonuses owed to players.
“At a time when Nigerians need joy and unity, these same players are being denied their basic match allowances,” Mr Obi wrote, adding that the Super Eagles did not deserve such distractions ahead of a crucial quarter-final match.
Reacting to the post, Mr Onanuga dismissed Mr Obi’s intervention, suggesting that he was being unnecessarily antagonistic.
“Mr Bitter Peter, must you weaponise every issue?” Mr Onanuga wrote in response.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs Doris Uzoka-Anite, has stated that the issues delaying the release of the Super Eagles’ bonuses have been resolved. In a post on her official X account on Thursday, she disclosed that administrative processes surrounding the payment of AFCON 2025 match bonuses had been streamlined.
She further explained that the Federal Government, working in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had addressed foreign exchange bottlenecks that previously delayed the settlement of the players’ entitlements.
