Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has revealed previously undisclosed details about the deep-rooted challenges undermining Nigerian football, stressing that corruption, impunity and lack of accountability remain the biggest obstacles to progress.

In a statement issued today, Dalung recounted his experiences upon assuming office in November 2015, noting that despite being perceived as a newcomer, he had long been familiar with the inner workings of the sports ecosystem.

He recalled witnessing the crisis between Captain Sunday Oliseh and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali, where issues of bonus cuts, official high-handedness and administrative neglect were rampant. Dalung also described how members of the Federal Government delegation, including himself, were stranded after their estacode allowances were not paid.

According to him, these early experiences shaped the philosophy that guided his tenure: allowing stakeholders to underestimate him so they would reveal entrenched practices within the system.

Dalung recounted a striking encounter with a long-serving ministry cleaner, who told him:

“In sports, we work harder for failure than for success.”

The former Minister said this insight proved accurate, explaining that football tournament budgets are routinely prepared up to the final match, enabling administrators to benefit financially when teams exit competitions early.

He noted that whenever he demanded transparency and accountability, his efforts were frequently misrepresented as “ministerial interference,” with fabricated complaints sent to FIFA and misinformation amplified by sections of the media.

Disturbed by the declining state of Nigerian football, Dalung constituted a high-powered Technical Committee chaired by Col. Abdulmumuni, comprising former NFA leaders, coaches, ex-international players, private sector experts and government officials.

The committee’s exhaustive report identified monumental corruption, unpaid bonuses, nepotism, injustice, lack of transparency, and impunity as the core causes of stagnation.

One of its key recommendations was that Nigeria voluntarily withdraw from international football for six months and request that FIFA establish a Normalization Committee to overhaul football governance. Dalung stated that the Ministry accepted this recommendation and communicated it to both the President and FIFA.

However, he revealed that the process was derailed when President Muhammadu Buhari travelled abroad for medical treatment. During this period, the Presidency wrote directly to FIFA disowning the Ministry’s position—a move Dalung described as a “major victory for corruption and impunity.”

The former Minister expressed deep concern that Nigeria has failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup since 2018, stressing that the reasons are “neither mysterious nor accidental.”

He insisted that without decisive reforms, corruption and impunity will continue to determine the fate of Nigerian football.

“Until we confront the rot with courage and implement the right reforms, the ghosts of indecision and impunity will continue to haunt our football,” Dalung warned.