Former Nigerian international Mikel Obi has opened up on how he contacted office of late President Muhammadu Buhari over the Super Eagles’ unpaid bonuses for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said players were owed qualification bonuses for months, despite repeated assurances from officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that the money would be paid once the team arrived in camp. Mikel escalated the matter as players grew anxious and delays persisted.
He revealed that he contacted Abba Kyari, then Chief of Staff to President Buhari. Within 24 hours, a private plane reportedly delivered millions of dollars in cash directly to the team’s hotel.
“Talking about fighting for players’ bonuses, I went above the president of the NFF to get those bonuses, which is what I did a couple of times during the World Cup,” Mikel said.
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“Leading up to the World Cup, we were owed money. We had been asking for this money for months before the tournament. They kept telling me, ‘Oh, Mikel, don’t worry, the money will be sorted when you come to camp.’ I said, ‘Okay, no problem, but make sure the money is there because the players are asking me about their bonuses.
“We got to camp, and I spoke to the team secretary and the president. I asked, ‘Where is the money?’ Again, they said, ‘Don’t worry, Mikel, we’ll sort it out. A week went by. The players kept coming to me saying, ‘Mikel, we need this money. Once the World Cup is over, we don’t know if we’ll ever get it.
“I called him and said, ‘Mr chief of staff, we have a serious issue in the national team. We need this money to settle the players. This is what was promised. 24 hours later, a private plane arrived. The money was delivered to the hotel, hand to hand. Millions of dollars.
“I took the money and handed it to the team secretary and told him to hold it. I said, ‘Make sure this money does not go to the president or anyone else. This money belongs to the players.”
