AFCON 2025: Bureaucracy Responsible for Delay in Super Eagles Bonus Payment –  NSC

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has blamed bureaucratic procedures for the delay in the payment of bonuses owed to the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Dikko spoke on Thursday amid reports that players of the Nigerian national team had threatened to boycott their AFCON quarter-final match against Algeria over the unpaid entitlements.

Addressing the issue, the NSC chairman said the funds had already received the necessary approvals and been released, but were still moving through required administrative processes.

“The money has been released and is being processed,” Dikko said while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

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He added: “The NFF, the Sports Commission, the Presidency, the Minister of Finance, and the CBN are all involved. Fundamentally, the money for this AFCON is approved and being processed through the right channels. It’s a matter of timing.”

He maintained that the approval of funds does not automatically mean immediate disbursement, explaining that multiple government institutions are involved in the process.

“Let me give you the timelines of how these issues work. First and foremost, I must tell you that Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, duly approved the special budget for the AFCON as far back as November 14, 2025,” Dikko said.

“But approving the money is different from getting the money out. It takes time for the funds to be processed through the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General, and the Central Bank of Nigeria.”