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Ministry, NFF Trade Blame over Exclusion Of AFCON Expenditure In 2019 Budget

Published

7 years ago

June 17, 2019

The latest news over the exclusion of the Super Eagles’ African Cup of Nations expenditure in the 2019 budget continues to fury with the Sports Ministry yesterday saying that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should be held solely responsible for the omission.

But the NFF has also brought out documents to show that the omission ‘was a deliberate act by the ministry.’

Last week, the NFF raised the alarm that it was finding it difficult to meet its obligations to the Super Eagles and other national teams because the Sports Ministry failed to include its envelop in the budget submitted to the Federal Government.

However, a statement by Nneka Anibeze, a Media Aide to the immediate past Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, yesterday said the NFF failed to capture its Africa Cup of Nations tournament budget in its 2019 programmes sent to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.

The statement quotes Dalung as claiming that the allegation was false and intended to portray the ministry, particularly himself in bad light.

“They were asked to submit their plans for 2019 to the office of Budget and National Planning, directly. They did not include AFCON in what they submitted to the Budget office. When the budget process was already advanced, I think it was already at the National Assembly when they discovered that they did not make provisions for AFCON.

“They approached the Ministry of Youth and Sports and I directed that they should write, so that we can apply for intervention from the office of the President. This happened towards the terminal date of the tenure of this administration.

“I also took it up personally with the President as requested, for his special intervention to save the situation but of course, the process, as we all know is slow. It has to go to the office of the President to the Ministry of Finance for advice before it will now go to Budget office and back for approval.

“It is a cumbersome process and therefore it is yet to materialize. Based on the time they initiated the process, it is not the fault of anybody but the fault of the Nigeria Football Federation which completely failed to include AFCON when they were invited by the office of Budget and National Planning to submit their program and budget for the year.”

Reacting to Dalung’s claims, NFF’s Chairman and Publicity Committee, Suleiman Kwande said: “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 regular program.

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

“Few weeks after we qualified for the AFCON 2019, we sent a budget 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.”

He added 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.”

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Eight Athletes, 11 Medals: Applauding Asagba’s Sports Leadership At DELSU

Published

1 week ago

October 14, 2026

The Gleamer

By Godspower Odedede

Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, has recorded an impressive outing at the 15th West Africa University Games (WAUG) 2026, winning 11 medals with just eight athletes who represented the university in only three sporting events.

The university won seven gold, two silver and two bronze medals to occupy seventh position on the medal table, an achievement that underscores the potential of its athletes and the importance of purposeful investment in university sports.

DELSU participated in the men’s 100-metre sprint with two athletes, women’s judo with two athletes, and swimming with four male athletes. Despite the limited number of athletes and sporting events, the university’s medal haul was a commendable performance and a source of pride for the institution.

The achievement deserves particular recognition given the restricted scope of DELSU’s participation. With representation in only three sports, the university demonstrated that focused preparation, adequate support and the effective deployment of available talent can produce encouraging results at major university competitions.

A major highlight of DELSU’s preparation for WAUG 2026 was the approval by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Ogheneovo Asagba, for a quality two-week training programme for the university’s athletes in Asaba.

The camp provided the athletes with an opportunity to prepare using the excellent and up-to-date training facilities available in the state capital.

The initiative is particularly noteworthy as it represents a significant commitment to structured preparation for university sports. Rather than relying solely on athletes’ natural abilities, the training programme recognised the importance of preparation, access to appropriate facilities and institutional investment in performance.

Professor Asagba deserves commendation for this intervention and for demonstrating a willingness to provide practical support for sports development at DELSU. The university’s WAUG performance offers an encouraging indication of what can be achieved when athletes receive purposeful preparation and administrative backing.

The Vice-Chancellor’s broader vision for sports infrastructure is also encouraging. Plans are understood to be underway for the construction of an ultra-modern sports complex for the university in the near future. If delivered as anticipated, the facility could significantly strengthen DELSU’s capacity for athlete development, training, competitions and sports science activities.

Such infrastructure would also support the university’s ambitions to improve its performance at national and international university games. A modern sports complex could provide a foundation for more systematic talent identification, performance monitoring, coaching development and the preparation of athletes across a wider range of sporting events.

Special recognition must also go to Mrs Epebi-Ebi Noah, the swimming coach, who was physically present at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, with the DELSU swimming team during the competition. Her presence and involvement underline the importance of coaching support, technical guidance and close supervision of athletes during major sporting events.

The performance also calls for commendation of the Chairman of the University Sports Committee, Professor Ochuko Nabofa, whose leadership has brought renewed attention and energy to sports development at DELSU. His role in supporting the university’s sports administration and helping to strengthen the sporting environment deserves recognition.

Similarly, the Acting Director of Sports, Peter Omojuwa, deserves commendation for his administrative responsibilities and contribution to the university’s sporting programme. The Chief Coach, Lucky Ajaino, should also be recognised for his role in the technical preparation and development of DELSU athletes.

The combined efforts of the university management, sports committee, sports administrators and coaches are essential to sustaining progress. While medals provide a visible measure of success, the systems established to prepare athletes and support their development are equally important to the long-term growth of university sports.

DELSU’s WAUG achievement follows another notable outing at the last Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) Games, where the university finished fourth. That result was regarded as one of the finest performances in the institution’s sporting history and strengthened expectations that DELSU could become an even more formidable force in university sports.

The latest WAUG performance provides another reason for optimism. However, the university’s participation in only three events also reveals an opportunity for further growth. Expanding participation across more sports, identifying talented students and improving access to specialised training could help DELSU compete for a higher position on future medal tables.

The proposed sports complex, if realised, could play a central role in this expansion. It should ideally be supported by sustained funding, modern equipment, qualified coaches, athlete welfare programmes and collaboration with relevant sports science professionals. These measures would help ensure that infrastructure investment translates into measurable improvements in performance.

The university could also consider strengthening performance analysis, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, talent identification and systematic monitoring of athletes’ progress. Such an approach would help transform individual successes into a sustainable university-wide sports development programme.

DELSU’s performance at WAUG 2026 is worthy of celebration. Eight athletes competed in just three sporting events and returned with 11 medals, including seven gold. The result reflects the potential within the university and provides a strong basis for building a more ambitious sports programme.

Professor Asagba’s approval of the two-week training camp and the prospect of an ultra-modern sports complex offer reasons to look forward to the next phase of DELSU sports development. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum, broaden participation and ensure that the university’s sporting ambitions are matched by consistent investment and effective implementation.

With continued support from the Vice-Chancellor, the University Sports Committee, the Directorate of Sports, coaches and other stakeholders, DELSU can build on its recent achievements and strengthen its position among Nigeria’s leading sporting universities.

The message from WAUG 2026 is clear: DELSU has demonstrated what a small but well-supported contingent can achieve. With broader participation, sustained preparation and modern sporting infrastructure, the university has the potential to accomplish even greater things.

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