Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has revealed that he personally contacted the office of late former president Muhammadu Buhari to ensure Nigerian players received their bonuses after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, following months of delays by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Speaking on an episode of The Obi One Podcast released on Tuesday, Mikel said the players were owed money from qualifying for the tournament, but repeated promises from football officials failed to materialise even after the team arrived 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,” he said.
Mikel explained that FIFA releases “parachute money” ahead of major tournaments, which is meant to be shared among players. He added that football federations usually borrow funds to pay bonuses early and reimburse lenders once FIFA payments are received.
“Leading up to the World Cup, we were owed money,” he said. “We had been asking for this money for months before the tournament. They kept telling me, ‘Don’t worry, the money will be sorted when you come to camp.’ I told them the players were already asking about their bonuses.”
According to him, the assurances continued even after the team assembled. “We got to camp, and I asked again, ‘Where is the money?’ They said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.’”
As days passed without payment, Mikel said the players became increasingly anxious. “A week went by and the players kept coming to me, saying they needed the money because once the World Cup was over, there was no guarantee they would ever get it.”
With no solution in sight, Mikel said he contacted the late Abba Kyari, who was then chief of staff to President Buhari. “I told him we had a serious issue in the national team and that the players needed to be paid what was promised.”
“Twenty-four hours later, a private plane arrived. The money was delivered to the hotel, hand to hand — millions of dollars,” he said.
Mikel said he handed the money to the team secretary with strict instructions that it must go directly to the players. “I told him, ‘This money does not belong to the president or anyone else. It belongs to the players.’”
He added that the bonuses were calculated and shared among all players involved in the World Cup qualifiers the following day.
Mikel admitted that his actions angered senior officials, including the then NFF president, who summoned him for questioning. “They said, ‘Why did you do this? You’ve made us look like idiots,’” he recalled.
“I told them I had been asking for this money for months. When you fail, I have to take responsibility because my players need the money. This is not a favour — it is owed.”
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, and the tournament remains Nigeria’s most recent World Cup appearance.
Mikel retired from international football a year later after making 91 appearances for Nigeria. He won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and an Olympic bronze medal at the 2016 Games.
