Peter Obi has lashed out at President Bola Tinubu’s government for failing to pay Super Eagles’ match allowances for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.

“Can we get through a day without troubling news in this country? At a time when Nigerians need joy and unity—something the national football team, the Super Eagles, has been providing by winning matches and lifting our spirits worldwide—these same players are being denied their basic match allowances.

“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,” said the politician in a statement on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Super Eagles threatened to boycott training, including scheduled travel to Marrakech for their 2025 AFCON quarterfinal match against Algeria on Thursday, over unpaid match bonuses.

Mr Obi, who reacted to the development, said the Super Eagles should not be distracted ahead of their match on Saturday, stressing the country deserves a better international image.

“Nigeria deserves a better international image than this ongoing failure to honour previously-agreed-upon allowances before the tournament,” the politician stated.

Mr Obi added, “The Super Eagles do not deserve this embarrassment or the avoidable distractions ahead of a crucial quarter-final match. Nigeria must learn to fulfill its obligations.”