A presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, has taken a swipe at former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, over his criticism of the Federal Government and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following reports of unpaid match bonuses to the Super Eagles.
Onanuga’s comment followed Obi’s earlier post on X, where the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election condemned the situation in which the Super Eagles reportedly threatened not to travel to Marrakech for their next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match against Algeria unless all outstanding winning bonuses were paid.
Obi had described the development as an embarrassment to the country, lamenting the failure to meet agreed obligations to the players.
“When will this embarrassment end? Can we get through a day without troubling news in this country?” Obi asked, noting that the national team had been a source of joy and unity for Nigerians.
“At a time when Nigerians need joy and unity… these same players are being denied their basic match allowances,” he wrote.
The former governor further criticised government spending priorities, saying, “A country that writes off trillions in debts for government agencies and political allies, and squanders money on grandiose, self-serving projects, now struggles to pay the basic match bonuses owed to our players.”
He added that the Super Eagles “do not deserve this embarrassment or the avoidable distractions ahead of a crucial quarter-final match,” urging Nigeria to “fulfil its obligations.”
Reacting, Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, commented under the post, suggesting Obi is a ‘bitter’ person and questioning his comment on the matter.
“Mr Bitter Peter, must you weaponise every issue?” Onanuga wrote.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the issues delaying the release of the bonuses have been addressed.
In a post on her official X account on Thursday, Uzoka-Anite said administrative processes for the payment of Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 match bonuses had been successfully streamlined.
She disclosed that the Federal Government, working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had resolved foreign exchange bottlenecks that previously delayed the settlement of players’ entitlements.
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