Izuchukwu OkosiFormer Nigeria’s sports minister in President Muhammad Buhari’s government, Solomon Dalung has sensationally revealed that there was a strong cabal that ran the government before the end of its two-term administration.
Dalung was guest in a no-holds barred interview on Channels Television and spoke extensively on how those running the government prevented ministers from having unrestricted access to the President inatters affecting their ministries.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelDalung claimed that he was very close to former President Buhari because aside his portfolio as Sports minister he was a mediator in the Nigeria Delta crisis that were the case at the time.
“Most of the Cabals did not like me because I was close to Mr President,” Dalung said in the interview monitored by Prime Business Africa.
“I went to the creeks to speak with the militants. Mr President asked me why I want to take the risk and I sasi only three things will happen to me: Either I come back alive, I die or. I’m kidnapped.”
“The President wanted to work with people who will tell him the truth and that was the moment he started trusted me more with my decisions which didn’t sit well with some people.”
On the influence of the Cabals in the running of the Buhari government, Dalung said thus:
“I would say the ratio of 80/20 percent. 80% negative and 20% positive. Most of the memos that were approved, we followed up. I will give you an example of the negative things that happened with the issue of the Super Falcons winning their 8th Championship in Cameroon.
“I applied for the funds to this competition three months before the commencement.
“The memo spent three months in the office of the President without a reply despite repeated visits until we went to Cameroon, won the tournament and returned with the team.
“The late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, went to the airport to receive the team without even letting me know.
“The next day I was told that the team was in front of the Aso Villa demonstrating the non-payment of their allowances,” Dalung noted.
*The late CoS called me and said: “Minister, why did you have to do this? You didn’t tell us they were owed so the girls are demonstrating. I told him: “Sir, I’m coming to join myself because I was supposed to be protesting before them.”
“My memo for their money was sent three months earlier and it was still in the (President’s) office.” He hung up.
At the Federal Executive Council meeting with the President, explained all these to the president but I couldn’t have told Nigerians who attacked me that a memo to the office was unattended to after three months.
Finally, speaking on whether the Cabals are avoidable, the former minister responded:
“It’s possible to avoid these Cabals but the only way to avoid them is that when making the first critical appointments which includes the Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Government, National Security Adviser and Minister of Justice, you must be able to bring people whom you know and believe in them.
“But these canals we talk about, their foot soldiers are more active than them. They are either PAs, SA, Chief of Staff. These are people that leak information and memos. They monitor what the President does.
“Even this government (Tinubu’s) has been hijacked by the Cabals,” Dalung concluded.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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