The Chelsea midfielder will be assisted by Azubuike Okechukwu – who is the substantive captain, at the men’s football event in Brazil.
Following a meeting with players and other officials over the weekend, Siasia said the choice of Mikel was automatic as he was the captain of the Super Eagles and Team Nigeria to the Games.
“It’s just natural for me to pick Mikel as our captain,” Siasia announced.
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“Aside the fact that he is the captain of the Super Eagles, he is also Team Nigeria captain, so after meeting with both of them and explaining my position, I am pleased to say Azubuike who has been our captain understood and was happy to hand over the captain’s band to Mikel.
“It is a thing of joy for my team to produce the first footballer to captain Team Nigeria to the Olympics. This, to me, is more than gratifying.”
The Dream Team VI are expected to depart their training camp base in Atlanta, USA, to Rio on Monday, August 1 via a chartered flight.
The African Champions, who are seeking their second Olympic gold, will begin their campaign in Group B against Japan on August 4.