Finance ministry takes over paying player bonuses with launch of new fast track conversion process

NIGERIA'S Federal Ministry of Finance has taken over the responsibility of paying the match bonuses of the Super Eagles to avoid further embarrassing disputes that could distract the team from its mission of winning the ongoing African Cup of Nations.

Tomorrow, Nigeria's Eagles will face the Desert Foxes in the quarter finals of the tournament currently taking place in Nigeria. Adjudged to be one of the best teams at the event, the Eagles are one of the favourites to lift the trophy but as usual, the players have been distracted by bonus rows, with  the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) failing to pay them on time.

To avoid this leading to another major incident, the finance ministry has stepped in and paid the players all the outstanding bonuses they are owed to far. Yesterday, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Nigeria's minister of state for finance, revealed that all group-stage bonuses due to the players have been paid and are expected to reflect in the players’ domiciliary accounts within hours.

Responding to reports that the players were considering boycotting training sessions and could decline to travel to Marrakesh for their quarter-final clash against Algeria, she said all these concerns had been resolved through coordinated action by the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria. She explained that all bonuses earned by the players during the group stage of the tournament had been fully processed and cleared through the required regulatory procedures

Dr Uzoka-Anite added: “The federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have successfully 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.

“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 and players can expect these funds to reflect starting today or tomorrow (Friday)."

Furthermore, the minister stressed that the government remains focused on the welfare and morale of the team as they advance into the knockout phase of the competition. She also assured that the administration was committed to ensuring that off-field issues do not distract the players from their performance at the tournament.  

“Our focus remains entirely on supporting the team’s welfare so they can maintain their incredible momentum in the knockout rounds. We move forward with one goal - bringing the trophy home,” Dr Uzoka-Anite added.