NSC Chairman Explains N6.44bn World Cup Budget After Atiku’s Questions
National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, has explained why a N6.44 billion budget provision for Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign remained in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The issue came up after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioned why the money was still included in the budget even though Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Atiku said the budget item, listed as “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers,” needed a public explanation.
He asked why the government budgeted N6.44 billion for the World Cup qualifiers after Nigeria’s qualification campaign had ended. He also questioned who approved the budget line and what the money was meant for.
The budget provision has sparked public discussion, with many Nigerians asking whether the allocation was for a programme that had already been completed.
In response, Dikko said there was a misunderstanding about how the country’s budget system works.
According to him, the N6.44 billion was first included in the 2025 budget to support the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifying campaign. However, he said the money was never released during the 2025 financial year.
Dikko explained that despite not receiving the funds, the National Sports Commission still financed Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying matches, including the playoff fixtures, using other available resources.
He said the Federal Government later approved the transfer of some unfunded 2025 budget items into the 2026 budget so payments could be made for projects already carried out or programmes that were still outstanding.
“The budget sub-head has been in the Federal Government budget since the 2025 Appropriation Act to support the World Cup qualifiers,” Dikko said.
He added that when the 2026 budget was prepared, Nigeria still had a petition before FIFA concerning the qualification process. Because of this, he said there was reason to keep the budget item until the matter was concluded.
Dikko also revealed that after Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup officially ended, the NSC worked with the National Assembly and the Budget Office to change the budget through a corrigendum.
He said the amendment would allow the funds to be legally redirected to support other Nigerian national teams taking part in international competitions.
According to the NSC chairman, using a budget corrigendum is a legal process for correcting or updating items in the Appropriation Act.
He maintained that rolling over unfunded budget provisions from one year to another is part of the Federal Government’s budget implementation policy for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), especially where projects have already been completed but payment has not yet been made.
The controversy has renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of government funds for sports development and other national projects.
