BY SOLOMON DALUNG
When I assumed office as Minister in November 2015 wearing my khaki and red beret, the general consensus within the sports family was that a complete novice had arrived the scene. My unassuming appearance convinced many stakeholders that it would be business as usual. But unknown to them, I had been deeply familiar with the sports ecosystem long before stepping into the Ministry.
As far back as 2002, I was part of the Federal Government Delegation to the African Cup of Nations in Mali, where I witnessed first hand the crisis between Captain Sunday Oliseh and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) over arbitrary cuts in players’ bonuses and the high-handedness of officials. Even the estacode due to me as a government delegate nominated by then PDP National Chairman, Chief Solomon Lar, was never paid. We were stranded, abandoned without means of sustenance, and only survived through the intervention of the Nigerian embassy and some patriotic citizens.
With these experiences, I armed myself with the philosophy of my mentor: “When you go to the community of cunning people, behave like a fool.” In other words, let them believe you know nothing so they can reveal themselves. This was the posture many sports stakeholders mistook for ignorance throughout my tenure.
One encounter remains unforgettable. An elderly cleaner who had served in the Sports Ministry for decades sought an audience with me. When he spoke, his words pierced deep:
“My son, do you know in sports we work harder for failure than for success?”
Perplexed, I asked him to explain.
He told me that tournament budgets in football are always prepared from the group stage up to the finals. All bonuses and allowances are calculated upfront. Therefore, administrators profit more when the team crashes out early, because unearned funds are neither retired nor accounted for.
This revelation guided my actions, and through my tenure I confirmed its truth. Each time I demanded accountability, it was mischievously repackaged to the public as “ministerial interference.” Fabricated complaints would be sent to FIFA, threats of a ban would be brandished, and corruption would once again triumph. Meanwhile, segments of the sports media, poorly briefed or deliberately misled, redirected their energy toward attacking the Minister instead of investigating the issues.
Concerned about the declining fortunes of Nigerian football, I constituted a high-powered Technical Committee headed by Col. Abdulmumuni, alongside former NFA chairmen, past secretaries, representatives of coaches, ex-international players, the private sector and government officials. After extensive work, the committee produced an excellent report highlighting the root causes of football stagnation: monumental corruption, unpaid allowances and bonuses, nepotism, impunity, injustice, and a chronic lack of transparency and accountability.
Among its key recommendations was a bold proposal: that Nigeria should voluntarily withdraw from global football for six months and request FIFA to establish a Normalization Committee to overhaul the governance structure before returning to competition. This, in the committee’s view, was the only way to cleanse the system and reset Nigerian football on a sustainable path.
The Ministry accepted the recommendation and duly communicated it to the President and to FIFA. Unfortunately, the process was sabotaged when President Buhari fell ill and travelled abroad for prolonged medical attention. In a shocking breach of protocol, the Presidency unilaterally wrote FIFA to disown the Ministry’s report without even recourse the Minister. That singular act was a major victory for corruption and impunity, whose ghosts continue to haunt Nigerian football.
Today, I remain personally devastated that since 2018, Nigeria has repeatedly failed to qualify for the World Cup. Yet the reasons are neither mysterious nor accidental. Until we confront the rot with courage and implement the right reforms, the ghosts of indecision, corruption and impunity will continue to define our football destiny.
*Solomon Dalung was former Minister of Sports in Nigeria
