Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has offered to personally pay the team’s unpaid match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco if the Federal Government does not clear the arrears before Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Algeria.
Speaking on Thursday, January 8, to BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, Ndidi said he made the pledge to ensure the bonus dispute does not disrupt preparations. “I’ve been encouraging the team to train and focus on the game against Algeria since the second match. I’ve now assured the staff and players that I’ll personally settle the bonuses if the authorities fail to do so before Saturday,” he wrote on X.
“I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations. I told players and coaching staff that I’d cover the payments personally if necessary,” he added.
The announcement comes amid tensions in the camp over unpaid bonuses for the three group-stage matches and the round of 16. Reports indicated that players and officials were considering boycotting travel to Marrakech or skipping training in protest.
In response, Minister of State for Finance Doris Uzoka-Anite said the Federal Government is fast-tracking payments between Thursday and Friday. She confirmed that group-stage bonuses have been released and cleared regulatory approval, and that future disbursements will be processed without delays.
“The Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have streamlined foreign exchange processing to ensure players are rewarded promptly,” she wrote on X. “Going forward, the process will be fully aligned with international best practices. All group-stage bonuses have been released and cleared the necessary regulatory steps.”
She added that a fast-track conversion process has been implemented to transfer funds into players’ preferred foreign currency. “Final transfers to domiciliary accounts are underway. Players can expect the funds to reflect starting today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday).”