Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, believes that Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is largely due to widespread corruption and a lack of accountability within the country’s football system.
A recent report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) highlighted that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national team defeated Nigeria’s Super Eagles in a tense penalty shootout, securing their place in the Intercontinental Playoff.
Speaking in Abuja, Dalung expressed to NAN that the problems hindering the growth of football in Nigeria have been around for many years and still exist because of powerful interests that refuse to change.
He reflected on his time as Minister, starting in November 2015, when many people viewed his straightforward and humble style as being inexperienced. Dalung emphasized that he has been observing the sports sector closely for years and understands the issues facing the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). His first significant experience with these problems came back in 2002 when he joined the Federal Government’s team at the African Cup of Nations in Mali.
Dalung recounted a conflict between Captain Sunday Oliseh and the Nigeria Football Association over sudden cuts in players’ bonuses. He also pointed out that even his travel allowance was not paid, putting his group in a difficult situation until the Nigerian embassy stepped in to help.
These experiences taught him an important lesson from his mentor: sometimes, pretending to know little about a situation can help you see how deeply rooted the problems really are. Dalung also recalled a conversation with an older cleaner who pointed out that in sports, they often put in more effort to fail than to succeed.
Dalung revealed that a cleaner had told him that budgets for these tournaments were planned all the way up to the finals. However, it turns out that when teams are eliminated early, the leftover money often goes unaccounted for, which benefits the administrators more.
While he was in office, he tried to hold people accountable for this. Unfortunately, his efforts were often misinterpreted as “interfering” with the ministry’s work. He also said that some officials were actively trying to persuade FIFA to stop reforms aimed at improving the situation. Meanwhile, certain media outlets seemed to ignore the real issues and instead focused on the ministry itself.
The former minister went on to explain that he formed a technical committee led by Col. Abdulmumuni. This committee included former football association leaders, past players, coaches, business people, and government representatives. After a lot of discussions, they identified several major problems: corruption, unpaid wages, favoritism, a lack of accountability, and little transparency were all holding the football scene back.
One significant recommendation from the committee was for Nigeria to take a break from international football for six months. This would allow FIFA to establish a committee to help improve governance and restore order. The ministry backed this idea and communicated it to both the President and FIFA. However, progress was stalled when President Muhammadu Buhari fell ill and needed medical treatment abroad.
During his absence, the presidency reached out to FIFA independently and rejected the ministry’s proposal without consulting him first. The former minister considered this a major victory for corruption and a lack of accountability.
He highlighted that the repercussions of that decision are evident today, stating that Nigeria has been unable to qualify for the FIFA World Cup since 2018.
He pointed out that the challenges facing football are not surprising or accidental; instead, they come from the ongoing decline in how the sport is managed.
Dalung stressed that only bold reforms, backed by genuine political will and real responsibility, can rescue Nigerian football from what he referred to as the “darkness of uncertainty, corruption, and lack of accountability” that has long affected the sport’s progress.
(NAN)
