Super Eagles captain, Wilfred Ndidi has made a powerful and unprecedented commitment to Nigeria’s national team, pledging to personally settle all unpaid match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco should the Federal Government fail to do so before Saturday’s quarter-final showdown against Algeria.
Ndidi’s intervention comes amid rising tension in the Super Eagles’ camp following reports of unpaid bonuses from four matches;
– the group-stage fixtures against Tanzania,
– Tunisia and Uganda, as well as
– the round-of-16 win over Mozambique.
The Leicester City midfielder spoke after assurances from the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, that payments would be fast-tracked between Thursday and Friday.
“I’ll Personally Pay If Authorities Fail” – Ndidi
Determined to protect team unity and focus, Ndidi revealed he has been urging his teammates to continue training and preparing for the Algeria encounter, even as the financial issues lingered.
“I’ve been pushing the team to train and play the game vs Algeria. I’ve been doing this since the second game,” Ndidi said.
The Super Eagles skipper then made his extraordinary pledge clear:
“I’ve now made a commitment to the staff and players that I’ll personally pay the bonuses if the authorities fail to before Saturday.”
Emphasising his desire to shield the team from distractions, Ndidi added:
“I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations. I told players and coaching staff that I’d personally make the payments if they don’t get it.”
Boycott Fears Rock Super Eagles Camp
Earlier reports had suggested that players and officials were considering boycotting travel to Marrakech and skipping training on Thursday in protest over the unpaid entitlements.
The development sparked widespread concern among fans and pundits, especially given Nigeria’s impressive form at AFCON 2025 and the magnitude of the upcoming quarter-final against a strong Algerian side.
Federal Government Breaks Silence on Payments
In response, Minister of State for Finance Doris Uzoka-Anite issued a detailed update on Thursday, outlining steps taken to resolve the issue and prevent future delays.
“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,” she wrote on X.
Uzoka-Anite confirmed that payments for the group-stage matches had already passed key administrative hurdles.
“Going forward, the process will be fully streamlined to ensure faster, more predictable disbursements aligned with international best practice.”
“All group stage bonuses were fully released and have now cleared the necessary regulatory stages.”
She further explained a new mechanism designed to respect the players’ preferences regarding payment currency:
“We have implemented a fast-track conversion process to move funds into foreign currency, honouring the players’ preferences.”
“The final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently in flight. Players can expect these funds to reflect starting today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday).”
Read More: BREAKING: Super Eagles Boycott Travel and Training Over Unpaid Bonuses Ahead of Algeria Clash
Read More: Mozambique Stars Admit Nigeria’s Super Eagles Were Too Strong After AFCON 2025 Exit
Read More: AFCON2025: “This is Our Responsibility to Over 200 Million Nigerians” – Wilfred Ndidi
Focus Returns as Nigeria Arrive in Marrakech
Despite the turmoil, Ndidi and his teammates arrived in Marrakech on Thursday and held another training session as preparations intensified for Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Algeria.
Nigeria are chasing a fourth AFCON title in Morocco, having previously lifted the trophy in 1980, 1994 and 2013. After finishing runners-up at the last edition, expectations are high for the Super Eagles to go one step further this time.
