Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has revealed that he contacted the office of late Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari to ensure players were paid their bonuses after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, following months of delays by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Speaking on an episode of The Obi One Podcast released on Tuesday, Mikel said the players were owed money earned from qualifying for the tournament, despite repeated assurances from officials that the issue would be resolved once the team assembled in camp.
“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.
He explained that FIFA releases “parachute money” ahead of major tournaments, which is meant to be shared among players, while federations often borrow funds to pay bonuses early before reimbursing lenders once FIFA payments arrive.
“Leading up to the World Cup, we were owed money,” he said. “We had been asking for this money for months. They kept telling me, ‘Don’t worry, Mikel, the money will be sorted when you come to camp.’”
According to Mikel, those assurances continued even after the team arrived in camp. “I spoke to the team secretary and the president and asked, ‘Where is the money?’ Again, they said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.’”
As days passed without payment, players became increasingly anxious.
“A week went by and 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,’” he said.
With no solution in sight, Mikel said he contacted the late Abba Kyari, then chief of staff to President Buhari.
“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,’” he recalled.
According to Mikel, within 24 hours a private jet arrived at the team’s hotel with the funds. “The money was delivered hand to hand — millions of dollars,” he said.
“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.’”
He added that the bonuses were calculated and distributed the following day to all players involved in the World Cup qualifiers.
Mikel said his actions angered senior officials, including the then NFF president, who summoned him for a meeting.
“They said, ‘Mikel, why did you do this? You’ve made us look like idiots,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘I’ve been asking you for this money for months.’”
“When you fail, I have to take responsibility because my players need the money,” Mikel said. “This money is owed. It is not a favour.”
He stressed that the payments were not incentives but earnings from qualification.
Nigeria exited the 2018 World Cup at the group stage after defeats to Croatia and Argentina, despite a win over Iceland. The team earned $16 million in prize money for its participation, and the tournament remains Nigeria’s most recent World Cup appearance.
Mikel, who retired from international football a year later, made 91 appearances for the Super Eagles.
