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Tag: Solomon Dalung

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

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

    • By Olamilekan Israel

    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.

    Read Also: CAF Awards: Osimhen makes final three for  Men’s POTY

    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.”

  • Thinking Aloud: If Barrister Dalung had returned as Minister

    Barrister Solomon Dalung, a Jos University trained lawyer was the immediate past minister of sports.  He was in that position for four years having been appointed in 2015 in President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term.

    A former prison officer, who enjoyed decking his khaki and red beret wherever he went.

    Asked why he refused to part ways with his mode of dressing he said his unique dressing signifies the suffering of the poor in the country as well as the sacrifice of some Nigerians to keep the country united”

    In the course of his job as the 34th sports Minister, he expectedly went into the good books of some sports stakeholders and bad books of others.

    While some accuse him of being a square peg in a round hole others say he did his best under prevailing circumstance.

    Some particularly accuse him of being ignorant of faking to be ignorant about basic things he ought to know.

    For instance when Nigeria U-23 team complained about lack of funds after arriving Atlanta as part of shape up for the Rio Olympics in 2016, the Minister was reported to be unaware of the trip and said to have asked who took them there.

    Some will interpret the President failure to include him in the list for the second term to mean that he did not perform but others will also say if you say he did not perform there were some returnees who cannot be said to have performed in the real sense of it.

    The former Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Area gave an impression of one who has a lot of interest in promotion of culture.

    Ex-Minister Dalung displays in cultural attire

    Early this year Solomon Dalung alongside former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Anambra state Governor  Willie Obiano, Returnee information minister  Lai Mohammed, Olympic Gold Medalists Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, Herbert Wigwe and Chairman of FC Ifeanyi Ubah Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah were shortlisted to be honoured at the second edition of the “Bunubunu Sports and Culture Award”

    If Barrister Dalung had returned as Minister, perhaps he would been a hit as Minister of Culture. Perhaps, just perhaps!

    New sports minister Sunday Akin Dare

    But then a new man Sunday Akin Dare, who was sworn in alongside 42 other ministers on Wednesday, is in the saddle and the focus of stakeholders will now shift to see how the veteran journalist and communication manager will paddle the canoe.

  • Why Nigerians will not forget Solomon Dalung in a hurry

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    Following the ministerial nominees list sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, the days of Barrister Solomon Selcap Dalung as Nigeria’s minister of youths and sports are over.

    Dalung had once assured Nigerian of his re-appointment as minister by the President.

    According to him, if it is the will of God that he comes back, then “there is nobody born of a woman that can stop my appointment”.

    He made this declaration in June, after Buhari dissolved his first cabinet on May 28, 2019.

    Sports loving Nigerians will however not forget the 54-year old Plateau State man in a hurry.

    Assuming office in November 2015, he was first noticed as a minister with a unique style of dressing.

    With his Khaki-uniform and red beret cap, which he graced public functions with most of the time; it was clear that he wanted to stand out as minister.

    He was once asked why he chose that style of dressing, and he said that he is always embarrassed with comments like ‘Oh! You look sweet, you look good’ when he does, that, but putting on his khaki, nobody remembers to say good morning to him, and that gives him peace.

    Read Also: We stand by rule of law – Dalung

    Sports in Nigeria experienced its ups and downs under Barrister Solomon Dalung.

    Notable achievements he had was the back-to-back victories recorded by the Super Falcons of Nigeria in the 2016 and 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations.

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria also made an appearance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with Dalung as Sports Minister.

    The Dream Team VI also qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics male football tournament, and even went as far as getting a bronze medal for Nigeria. The National Sports Festival took place successfully in December 2018 in Abuja, the swimming pool of the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos was finally renovated after 18 years, and attention was given to special sports with the gym for training renovated through the private sector, under Solomon Dalung.

    Nigerians will however not forget his bitter row with the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    In an interview, Dalung said “One of the challenges I faced, which is quite unfortunate, is the Nigeria Football Federation crisis. I was committed to seeing how to end that crisis. I sought for justice and understanding. I believe that throughout the crisis, there was no decision that I took that was for personal interest”

    The case of a missing $135,000, which the IAAF transferred to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, happened with Dalung at the helm of affairs. Although he maintained that the money has been transferred back to the IAAF, the world athletics body insists they have not received anything of such. It is learnt that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission have begun investigation on the missing money.

    Nigerians will not forget Dalung for his use of language.

    The former minister had once described the participation of the Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup as “a waste of money” because “Nigeria cannot win the World Cup”.

    Hopes are high on who takes over as minister of youths and sports. With sports lovers such as former minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji-Fashola and Festus Keyamo penciled down in the list submitted on Tuesday, Nigerians await the next man to steer the ship of sports in the country, taking it to the next level.

  • We submitted AFCON 2019 budget in 2018 — NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed as misleading, statements by former Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung at the weekend that the Federation omitted the budget for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations from its 2019 programmes sent to the Ministry.

    “There is no truth to the claim that the NFF omitted the AFCON from its budget,” NFF Executive Committee member and Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee, Hon. (Dr) Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande told thenff.com on Sunday. “The truth is that major competitions are never part of the regular budgets since, in most cases, qualification campaigns are still on course while budgets are being prepared for the following year. Thus, they are always sourced from intervention funds.

    “We qualified for the 2019 AFCON in November 2018, after the 1-1 draw with South Africa in Johannesburg. That was too late to include in the budget for 2019, which we had submitted around September/October 2018. So, we knew the grace would be for the AFCON fund to be sourced from special intervention, and not from the proposal that had been submitted earlier as a regular program.

    “For instance, the 2018 FIFA World Cup budget was also sourced from the intervention fund. We qualified for that competition in October 2017 and could not have included it in the regular program for the year 2018.”

    Kwande, who actually defended the NFF budget for the year 2019 at the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, said that the NFF at this time is only interested in ensuring that the National Teams (male and female) excel in their respective tournaments for which they are representing Nigeria, and would ordinarily not respond to Mr Dalung’s statements, but noted that it was important to put records straight to avoid misleading the public.

    Read Also: Visa Egypt 2019 AFCON Ticket campaign underway

    “For the regular annual budgets, we put together our budget for every competition and send to the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, which then puts a covering note and recommends to the Presidency, from where the document heads to the Finance Ministry and then onwards to the Budget Office. Since this NFF administration came into office, as was the case for some time before it, the Federation usually received what is called an ‘envelope’. So, the only way to prosecute major competitions is to depend on the grace of intervention funds.

    “Few weeks after we qualified for the AFCON 2019, we sent a budget proposal to the Ministry. We sent this same budget about three times as we were always being told to re-submit.

    “Mr Dalung was Minister of Sports for three-and-half years and not once did the NFF bypass the Ministry to submit a budget to the Presidency or the Finance Ministry. Facts are sacred.”

    The NFF chieftain said that for the records, the Federation has never written any story to curry sympathy, as alleged by Dalung. “We have no time for those kinds of spins. Another deliberate misleading statement by the former Minister was the allegation that the NFF leadership has been saying that it can do without government funding. We have never said so; we have only ever stated that the NFF has attained about 60 per cent self-funding from the analysis of our 2017 audited accounts that we published, and that we are determined to drive towards total self-funding which would be a delight to the government, as it will free resources for other critical sectors.

    “It is however interesting that Mr Dalung now considers the NFF as a self –accounting parastatal when several times during his tenure he refused to accept such!”

    Kwande said that nevertheless, the Super Eagles are focused on putting up a good performance at the AFCON 2019 finals starting in Egypt on Friday. “We are not sure what the intentions of Mr Dalung are regarding the so-called ‘feelers’ he said he was having about possible unrest in the Super Eagles’ camp. There is nothing of such; it is statements such as those being made by Dalung at such inauspicious times that, but for the absolute discipline and concentration of the Super Eagles, is capable of truncating harmony in the camp.

    “The players are focused on the noble assignment of doing Nigeria proud and told representatives of the Nigerian ambassador to Egypt (the representative of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari in that country) as much when they visited the camp some days ago.

    “The ‘feelers’ we are getting are all positive, and we are confident the team will do the country proud at the end of the day.”

  • Youths advised on culture, values

    Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung has admonished Nigerian youths to be involved in the promotion of the country’s culture in respect of dialects.

    Dalung spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital when he paid homage to the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi in his palace.

    He noted that there was no country in the world that had advanced without the development and promotion of its culture.

    Dalung, who was in Akure for the sixth National Council of Youth Development and the inauguration of the revised National Youth Policy 2019-2023 before the implementation said the issues affecting youth development in the country were becoming critical and had to be declared as emergencies at the national level.

    His words: “Youths are crying for attention more than ever before. They are crying for space, looking for guidance, better inspiration and they want to be prepared for the future.

    Read Also: Youths will be trained to convert waste to wealth, says Sanwo-Olu

    “We have been shaving heads of the youth in their absence. The white man started it, it must not continue. There is nowhere in the world that civilisation developed without their culture.

    “We must revert to our traditions. For us to succeed there is need to go back to our root for a better Nigeria.”

    The minister, however, appealed to all stakeholders, including traditional rulers and communities to put the issues affecting the youth in the front burner.

    According to him, this was to avoid the ‘Tsunami’ such neglect could cause in the future.

    Dalung said: “We are in Akure to present the reviewed National Youth Policy carefully put together by the Federal Government and its partners.

    “It treats issues such as the information technology, terrorism, cybercrime, employment that are crucial to youth development.

    “It is important to put it before Nigerians for implementation. Experts from different parts of the country will be participating”.

    Oba Aladelusi lauded the Federal Government for advocating the promotion of culture and on how to improve the Nigerian youth.

     

  • Eagles’ AFCON money not in 2019 budget

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials are at their wits end over the exclusion of the cost of prosecuting the 2019 African Nations Cup in the Ministry of Sports’ budget by the immediate past minister, Solomon Dalung.

    Unlike the World Cup in which FIFA provides funding for every team’s preparation and participation in the competition, teams in the African Nations Cup take care of their contingent’s logistics except accommodation, internal transportation and feeding, which is the responsibility of the host country.

    An NFF official told reporters at the weekend that the federation had been forced to scrimmage for funds a few weeks before the Nations Cup scheduled for Egypt.

    The source, who pleaded anonymity, said, “we duly submitted our budget to the ministry, but we understand that it was removed by the immediate past minister, Solomon Dalung. The problem is that we only discovered that our budget was not in the envelop submitted by the ministry a few days ago.

    “So, we are left to look for resources to take care of our teams’ preparation and participation in their various competitions and we don’t have much time to do this.”

    Read Also: AliBaba identifies with Hotsports on AFCON TV broadcast

    Apart from the Nations Cup, which begins in Egypt on June 25, Nigeria is also involved in the on-going FIFA U-20 World Cup and the FIFA Women World Cup, which kicks off on Friday.

    There is also the African U-23 Nations Cup and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which are also scheduled for this year.

    Reacting to the allegation that the ministry yanked off NFF’s package from its 2019 budget, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola said the ministry should not be held responsible if the NFF’s expenditure is not in the federal budget because the ‘federation is an independent parastatal.’

    According to Adesola, “the NFF is responsible for its own budget, which in most cases is included in the Sports Ministry’s envelop. You know the resources are not limited and so things are prioritised based on available resources. If the NFF did not submit its budget, it is not the ministry’s fault. Most times they choose to do things their own way independent of the ministry.”

    The 2019 African Nations Cup will hold from June 21 to July 21.

  • Nigeria must win war against violence, says Dogara

    Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives has said that Nigeria must win the war against violence in order to attain full civilisation.

    Dogara stated this on Friday in Jos at the annual cultural festival of Berom people of Plateau known as the “Nzem Berom”.

    The Speaker who was the chairman of the event said that the violence confronting the country must be stopped at all cost.

    He said “I have said it many times, we cannot afford to lose the fight against violence and still keep our civilisation.

    “Any nation that has lost the fight against violence, has always lost its civilisation.

    “Take the situation with the Northeast where I come from, as an example, there are communities where you can’t find anything as representatives of the government.

    “Police stations are gone. Roads, buildings, hospitals and schools have all been destroyed.

    “How long it is going to take us before we even get back to the position where we were prior to the breakout of violence?”

    Dogara noted that he had reflected long on the issues pertaining to the violence in the country, and discovered that most Nigerians dwell on errors, which serve as fuel for violence.

    The speaker said that for instance, there was an error that tells us that a whole ethnic group could just be wiped out.

    According to him, any person who utilises his senses should know that it is highly impossible to talk of just wiping out an ethnic group, except the God that created them decides to wipe them out Himself.

    “I have also heard of the error that stipulates that violence can be cured by more violence.
    “There has never been a conflict in the world, not even where the best of the war machines are used, that the weapons of war were thought to have resolved and brought peace.

    Read Also: Nigeria in worst period of insecurity- Dogara

    “Peace has always been obtained at the table of brotherhood. So that is another error.

    “We can defeat violence in Nigeria, if we are determined to do so and we have the leaders who are willing to do so.

    “It is also an error to say that some people are being killed because of cattle rustling.

    In a goodwill message for the festival, which attracted different tribes within and outside Plateau, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Solomon Dalung, commended Berom nation for a befitting cultural festival.

    Dalung also tasked the people on unity, saying that Plateau was known for peace and hospitality.

    “Our ancestors were peaceful people. Our ancestors were hospitable people and that was why they succeeded in all that they were doing.
    “For us, present leaders, we must invest our time and energy in promotion and protection of people of Plateau,” he said.

    The minister added that the leaders, particularly politicians, would disappoint the people and God if they could not unite and proffer solutions to the challenges bedeviling the state and country.

    NAN

  • Women rally for Buhari in Abuja

    Thousands of women have staged a road show for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The women moved in a colourful motorcade with shouts of ‘Sai Baba, Sai Buhari’ and ‘Support Mr. Integrity’ renting the air.

    The show, which began from the Unity Fountain in Maitama at about 8.00am, took party faithful and loyalists through Kubwa – Zuba- Giri- Gwagwalada – Lugbe

    The procession had a stop-over at the City Gate specifically in Games Village to encourage Nigerians to vote for President Buhari/Osibajo on Saturday.

    It then proceeded to Area One through Central Business District and a second stop over in President Muhammadu Buhari  campaign office before finally moving the train back to unity fountain where participants were entertained with foods and drinks.

    An extensive door- to- door campaign outreach ended the show.

    The initiator chief convener, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, who is the immediate past All Progressives Congress (APC) National Women Leader called on voters to choose Buhari.

    Read Also: Nigerian Traders endorse Buhari

    The National Women Leader of the Presidential Support Committee (PSC), said: “The PMB- led administration deserves another 4 years to continue the good work and also for stabilization or consolidation.

    “The school feeding system for the pupils  is there, the Rail projects, Trader Moni, fighting corruption to standstill, N-Power, amongst other things worthy of mentioning. Time for consolidation has come.

    Minister of Youths and Sports Solomon Dalung joined the women at the unity fountain from the National Campaign Headquarters.

    He was with the Deputy National Director General, of the Presidential Campaign Committee; Okoi Obno Obla , Senior Special Assistant the President on Prosecution; Ambassador  Debora Illiya, Nigerian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo;  Gen. Garba Audu Dibal and other APC chieftains.

    Fully represented were also all zonal and state coordinators of the Presidential Support Committee (PSC) and some members of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) as well as dignitaries and well- wishers  neighbouring Niger, Plateau, Benue, Nassarawa, Kwara, and Kogi  states.

     

  • Dalung inspects UNIBEN’s sports facilities

    The Minister for Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung has praised the management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) for maintaining sporting facilities in the institution.

    Dalung made the remark last Monday after touring sporting facilities at the institution.

    The minister said the purpose of his visit was to ascertain the level of the state’s preparedness towards hosting the 2020 National Sports Festival.

    Dalung, who was received by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Faraday Orunmwense, along with principal officers of the university, appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off the ongoing strike so that students could return to school.

    Speaking on the importance of sports to societal development, Dalung highlighted the achievements of the administration in the area of sports to include reintroduction of the Nation Sports Festival six years after it was last held.

    He urged the university management to keep up the good work it was doing in sports, adding that his ministry was aware of the exploits UNIBEN students were achieving in International competitions.

    Responding, Orunmwense thanked the minister for the visit and said he was appreciative that the Minister was impressed with the sporting facilities available.

    “Over the past seven years, UNIBEN has hosted major national sporting events and at every point, improved on the standard of facilities available. Little wonder we are known as the university with the best sports facility in Nigeria. We are ready to support the state government in organising the 2020 National Sports festival in Edo State. ‘’We will improve on the standard of facilities available before then”.

    The University Director of Sports, Dr Felicia Igbase, presented an award of excellence to Dalung for supporting UNIBEN in sports.

  • Dalung visits UNIBEN

    The Minister for Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung has praised the management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) for maintaining sporting facilities in the institution.

    Dalung made the remark last Monday after touring sporting facilities available at the institution.

    The minister said the purpose of his visit was to ascertain the level of the state’s preparedness towards hosting the 2020 National Sports Festival.

    Dalung, who was received by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Faraday Orunmwense, along with principal officers of the university, used the occasion to appeal to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off the ongoing strike so that students could return to school.

    Speaking on the importance of sports to societal development, Dalung highlighted the achievement of the present administration in the area of sports to include reintroduction of the Nation Sports Festival six years after it was last held.

    He urged the university management to keep up the good work it was doing in the area of sports while adding that his ministry was aware of the exploits UNIBEN students were achieving in International competitions.

    Responding , Prof Orunmwense thanked the minister for the visit and said he was appreciative that the Minister was impressed with the sporting facilities available.

    “Over the past seven years, UNIBEN has hosted major national sporting events and at every point, improved on the standard of facilities available. Little wonder we are known as the university with the best sports facility in Nigeria. We are ready to support the state government in organising the 2020 National Sports festival in Edo State. ‘’We will improve on the standard of facilities available before then”.

    The University Director of Sports, Dr Felicia Igbase, used the opportunity to present an award of excellence to Dalung for supporting the 2018 UNIBEN Sports award.