BUA Boss' $500k Promise: Gov's Aide Warns Super Eagles of ‘Man in Black’ Who Could Jinx Nigeria
- Nigeria's Super Eagles advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 semi-finals after defeating Algeria 2–0
- BUA Group pledged $500,000 for the Super Eagles' victory over Morocco, plus bonuses for goals scored
- A Nigerian governor's aide criticised Peter Obi's recent remarks on players' allowances amid ongoing AFCON excitement
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering football and sports in Nigeria and Africa.
Marrakech, Morocco - As Nigeria continues its march at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Ibraheem Abdullateef, senior special assistant on communications to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, has expressed hope that a “man in black” would not jinx the Super Eagles’ campaign.
Legit.ng reports that Abdullateef’s comments followed a pledge by Abdul Samad Rabiu, chairman of BUA Group, to donate $500,000 to the Super Eagles if they defeat Morocco in their semi-final clash at the tournament.
Source: Twitter
Super Eagles warning amid BUA pledge
The business mogul made the promise in a post on X (formerly Twitter) after Nigeria’s 2–0 victory over Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Rabiu, 65, watched the match on television as the Super Eagles sealed the impressive win in Marrakesh.
Star striker Victor Osimhen opened the scoring two minutes into the second half, finishing off a cross from Bruno Onyemaechi. Sevilla forward Akor Adams doubled Nigeria’s lead 10 minutes later, brilliantly going past Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane and calmly slotting into an empty net after being set up unselfishly by Osimhen.
Nigeria delivered a dominant performance, overwhelming their opponents from the outset. The Super Eagles looked sharper, more determined, and physically stronger, denying Algeria a single clear scoring opportunity at the Grand Stade de Marrakesh.
The West African giants, who narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2025 World Cup qualifiers in November 2025, are now chasing their first AFCON title since 2013.
Nigeria will face tournament hosts Morocco in the semi-finals on Wednesday, January 14.
Legit.ng reports that beyond the initial $500,000 pledge, Rabiu also promised an additional $50,000 for every goal scored in the semi-final. He further stated that if Nigeria go on to win the final, he would donate $1 million, along with $100,000 for each goal scored in the final match.
Kwara governor's aide slams Obi over Eagles
Reacting to the development, Abdullateef took a swipe at former presidential candidate and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Peter Obi. Obi had recently criticised the alleged non-payment of the Super Eagles’ allowances, describing it as a national embarrassment. Abdullateef, however, dismissed the remarks and used Rabiu’s financial support to fault Obi’s position.
He wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle:
“Thank you, BUA. That is patriotic. This is unlike Peter Obi's perfunctory statement on Wednesday on alleged unpaid allowances of Super Eagles, which was simply wetting the ground for mother-of-all-show in the next 10 days.”
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Source: Twitter
The Kwara State governor's aide continued:
“Now that the Eagles has edge Algeria to book a place in the semis, you will see him storming Morocco to hug the camera and own the headlines-- for showing great support for the team.
“Alongside the Eagles AFCON campaign, Obi will be unfurling his own for a presidency that has gone cold, but one that the glitzy shots of AFCON paparazzi is being targeted to help to centre it again.”
The governor’s aide concluded:
“I just hope that the Man in Black (referring to Obi) would not go to jinx it for Nigeria.”
Read more on Nigeria's Super Eagles:
- Nigeria’s all-time scorers’ list as Victor Osimhen closes in on Rashidi Yekini's record
- “Thank you, Eric Chelle”: Fans react as Super Eagles beat Benin Republic 4–0 in 2026 WCQ
Ayodele speaks on Lookman prophecy
Legit.ng earlier reported that Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele, founder and spiritual head of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, claimed that his prophecy on the performance of the Super Eagles and some of its star players at the ongoing AFCON is being misrepresented and misinterpreted.
This is coming after the cleric came under heavy criticism for ‘predicting’ that Ademola Lookman would be disappointing at the AFCON 2025. However, so far, Lookman has seemed to prove Primate Ayodele wrong with his decisive goals for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
