W’Cup 2026 : Ex-Minister Dalung opens can of worms on Nigerian football

Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has accused key actors within Nigeria’s football administration of fostering a system of corruption, impunity and deliberate sabotage that, he says, continues to derail the country’s progress on the global stage.

Dalung made the allegations in a statement posted on his Facebook page, where he reflected on his tenure as Minister from 2015 and detailed what he described as entrenched practices designed to undermine transparency and accountability.

According to him, the decay within football governance is “why Nigeria repeatedly fails to qualify for the World Cup since 2018,” insisting that the issues are neither accidental nor inexplicable.

Dalung revealed that his understanding of the sports ecosystem predates his appointment, citing his experience as part of Nigeria’s delegation to the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali, where he witnessed conflicts over player bonuses and alleged misconduct by officials.

He recounted an encounter with a veteran cleaner who told him that “in sports, we work harder for failure than for success.” Dalung said this statement shaped his perception, explaining that football administrators allegedly profit more when the national team fails early because unspent allowances and bonuses are never retired or accounted for.

The former minister said he attempted to introduce reforms and enforce accountability during his tenure, but his efforts were met with resistance. According to him, groups within the football system frequently misrepresented his actions as “interference” and reported him to FIFA to shield corruption.

He added that parts of the sports media were often misinformed and inadvertently helped to deflect attention away from the real issues.

In response to the persistent mismanagement, Dalung said he set up a high powered Technical Committee led by Col. Abdulmumuni, with former NFA chairmen, past secretaries, coaches, ex-internationals, private sector representatives and government officials.

The committee reportedly identified corruption, unpaid bonuses, nepotism, injustice, impunity and lack of transparency as major factors crippling Nigerian football.

One of its most striking recommendations was for Nigeria to voluntarily withdraw from international football for six months and request FIFA to establish a Normalization Committee to restructure the sport before returning.

Dalung stated that although the Ministry approved the proposal and communicated it to the Presidency and FIFA, the plan collapsed after President Muhammadu Buhari fell ill. He alleged that the Presidency bypassed his office and wrote directly to FIFA disowning the recommendation, a move he described as “a major victory for corruption and impunity.”

The former minister said Nigeria’s recent World Cup failures are a direct consequence of unresolved systemic issues. He warned that until football governance is reformed with transparency and courage, “the ghosts of corruption and impunity will continue to define our destiny.”

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