The Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko has revealed that the Federal Government did not approve any specific amount of money for the Super Eagles’ participation in the ongoing 35th Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

He was, however, quick to absolve the NSC of complicity in the delayed, unpaid allowance saga involving the senior national football team, stressing that structural changes within the Federal Ministry of Finance was responsible.

The Super Eagles are already in the quarterfinal of the tournament and will face Algeria on Saturday in Marrakech.The NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, told The Guardian, in Rabat, Morocco, that President Bola Tinubu approved a consolidated funding package for the NSC, rather than allocating separate amounts for individual competitions.

“The president approved a bulk sum for the Commission to fund Super Eagles’ AFCON campaign in Morocco; the Islamic Games in Riyadh; the Africa Youth Games in Angola, and other sporting engagements,” he stated.   According to Dikko, there was no intentional delay in the release of funds to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“The delay in the disbursement of the Super Eagles’ intervention fund in the ongoing AFCON was a result of structural changes within the Ministry of Finance. The situation was neither deliberate nor limited to the sports sector. The NFF submitted its budget for the AFCON campaign, and the Commission is reviewing and implementing it to meet all financial obligations.

“The most important thing is that the players already know their bonuses for every stage they qualify for, and I can tell you that all their entitlements have been clearly addressed.Those figures have been agreed upon, and the funds are already captured within the budget submitted by the NFF,” Dikko explained.