NSC Responds To Atiku's Questions Over N6.44 Billion Super Eagles World Cup Qualifiers Budget

NSC Responds To Atiku's Questions Over N6.44 Billion Super Eagles World Cup Qualifiers Budget

By Niyi Busari 

National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, has responded to concerns raised by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over a N6.44 billion budgetary provision linked to Nigeria's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Atiku had questioned why the allocation, described in the budget as "Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers," remained in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite Nigeria's failure to qualify for the tournament.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the former vice president argued that the provision required public explanation, asking why funds were budgeted for a programme after the country's World Cup qualification campaign had effectively ended.

"How does a serious government budget ₦6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated?" Atiku asked. He further questioned who approved the budget line, why it remained in the appropriation, and what purpose the funds were intended to serve.

The budget provision has since generated public debate, with stakeholders seeking clarification over whether the allocation was intended for a programme that had already concluded.

Responding to the concerns, Dikko said the questions stemmed from a misunderstanding of Nigeria's budgetary procedures. According to him, the allocation was originally captured in the 2025 budget to support the Super Eagles' World Cup qualification campaign but was never released during that fiscal year.

He explained that although the funds were not disbursed, the National Sports Commission proceeded with financing the country's qualification campaign, including the playoff fixtures, using other available resources.

According to Dikko, the Federal Government subsequently approved the roll-over of unfunded 2025 budget provisions into the 2026 fiscal year to enable payment for projects already executed or the completion of outstanding programmes.

"A simple check would show that this budget sub-head has been in the Federal Government budget since the 2025 Appropriation Act to support the objectives for the World Cup qualifiers," Dikko said.

He added that the Super Eagles' qualification campaign was fully funded operationally despite the non-release of the budgeted allocation and noted that the team recovered from a difficult start to the qualifiers to reach the playoff stage.

Dikko further explained that when the 2026 budget was being prepared and presented, Nigeria still had an active petition before FIFA concerning the qualification process. This, he said, justified retaining the budget line pending the outcome of the administrative process.

He also disclosed that after Nigeria's World Cup hopes officially ended, the NSC worked with the National Assembly and the Budget Office to initiate a budget corrigendum to amend the sub-head and legally redirect the allocation to support other national teams participating in international competitions.

According to the NSC chairman, the use of a corrigendum is an established legal process for correcting or amending provisions in the Appropriation Act.

Dikko maintained that the roll-over was consistent with the Federal Government's budget implementation policy across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), stressing that budgetary provisions may be carried forward where projects have been executed but funding has not yet been released.

The controversy has renewed scrutiny of public budgeting processes, with calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of government allocations for sports development and major national projects.