Omotayo Fashola
Former Super Eagles skipper John Obi Mikel has lifted the lid on how he personally intervened to ensure Nigeria’s players received their overdue bonuses ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, escalating the matter directly to then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) failed to resolve the payment delay.
In a bombshell revelation on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel detailed how millions in cash arrived at the team’s hotel via a private jet following his urgent plea to Abba Kyari, then Chief of Staff to the President.
The ex-Chelsea star didn’t mince words in his scathing critique of the NFF’s repeated financial mismanagement, particularly during major tournaments when FIFA’s advance “parachute payments” should guarantee timely compensation for national team players.
“I bypassed the NFF hierarchy because the players’ welfare was at stake,” Mikel stated. “We’d been chasing these payments for months before the World Cup, getting empty promises. When we arrived at camp with still no resolution, I had no choice but to escalate it beyond football administrators.”
The midfield maestro described mounting pressure from teammates facing their career-defining tournament: “Players kept confronting me—’When will we get paid? If not now, we know how this ends.’ Their distrust wasn’t unfounded given our federation’s track record.”
Mikel’s dramatic account continued: “One call to the Chief of Staff changed everything. Within 24 hours, a private jet landed with the cash. I personally oversaw its handover to our team secretary, instructing him to safeguard it from federation officials until proper distribution.”
The move reportedly triggered fury among NFF leadership. “They called me in, accused me of making them look incompetent,” Mikel recalled. “My response was simple—’I gave you months to fix this. When you failed, I protected my teammates’ interests. This wasn’t a gift; it was earned compensation.'”
Turning to current controversies, Mikel expressed skepticism about William Troost-Ekong’s recent international retirement ahead of AFCON: “Ekong’s sudden exit raises red flags. Having mentored him, I know his passion for Nigeria. For him to walk away weeks before a major tournament? Something untold is happening behind the scenes.”
The football legend concluded with a damning verdict on Nigeria’s football governance: “Our football won’t progress until there’s complete overhaul at the NFF. We’re suffocating world-class talent through administrative greed and incompetence. Those running our game lack vision and basic respect for players.”
