Idriss LAWAL
Controversial former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has opened a can of worms detailing how some members of the Nigeria National Assembly asked him for a bribe of N200M.
Dalung, who served as a Minister under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to May 2019, alleged that NASS demanded the bride during a budget defence.
According to the former minister, the alleged demand was made shortly after he presented the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development’s budget proposal before lawmakers.
He claimed that members of the committee requested ₦200 million from him, despite there being no provision for such payment in the ministry’s approved budget.
“I looked through the budget documents before me and replied that I had not seen any budget line titled ‘bribe.’
“I told the committee that since no such provision existed in the ministry’s appropriation, I had no idea where they expected me to obtain ₦200m,” Dalung said.
He alleged that some ministers, particularly those perceived to have close relationships with the Presidency, routinely complied with similar demands to ensure the smooth passage of their budget proposals.
Dalung argued that legislative oversight had, in some instances, been turned into an avenue for personal enrichment rather than a mechanism for ensuring accountability in government.
