The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, says the delay in the payment of bonuses to the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Dikko spoke on Thursday after the Nigerian team threatened to boycott their quarter-final match against Algeria in the competition due to non-payment of their bonuses. 

However, the NSC chairman said the money has been released and is being “processed”. 

READ ALSO: [2025 AFCON] Super Eagles To Travel Today For Quarter-Final Clash After Bonus Row — NSC

“The NFF, the Sports Commission, the Presidency, the Minister of Finance, and the CBN are all involved. Fundamentally, the money for this AFCON is approved and being processed through the right channels. It’s a matter of timing,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. 

“Let me give you the timelines of how the issues work. First and foremost, I must tell you that Mr. President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, duly approved the special budget for the AFCON as far back as November 14, 2025,” he said.

“But approving the money is different from getting the money out. It takes time for the money to be processed through Finance, the Office of the Accountant General, and the CBN.”

Watch his remark about the matter below: