Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has alleged that members of a committee of the National Assembly demanded a ₦200 million bribe from him during his first budget defence as a minister.

Dalung made the claim during a live interview on Channels Television on Friday, while commenting on issues of institutional corruption in Nigeria in relation to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Presidential International Peaceful Future Council (PIPFC).

According to the former minister, the demand came shortly after he presented the summary of his ministry’s budget to lawmakers.

“When I went to defend my first budget at the National Assembly, after presenting a summary of my budget, I was asked to raise ₦200 million. I told the committee that, looking at the budget line items, I didn’t see ‘bribe’ listed as one of them, so I didn’t know where I would get ₦200 million to give them,” Dalung said.

He explained that his refusal to comply with the alleged request did not sit well with the committee members. Instead, they reportedly chose to engage directly with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary.

According to Dalung, the committee told him, “Okay, Mr. Minister, you’re excused, we’ll take it up with the Permanent Secretary.”

The former minister further claimed that throughout his time in office, he was largely excluded from the detailed stages of his ministry’s budget defence. He said he was only invited to present the budget overview before being asked to leave, while discussions continued with ministry officials.

Dalung alleged that the practice reflects a deeply entrenched system in which some legislative committees exert pressure on public officials through financial demands during the budget approval process.

He also claimed that he was later informed by a committee chairman that some ministers with stronger political connections allegedly met such demands to facilitate the smooth passage of their budgets.

The former minister said he shared the experience to illustrate the challenges facing Nigeria’s public finance system, arguing that corruption within the budget process creates opportunities for fraud and weakens institutional accountability.

As of the time of filing this report, the National Assembly has not officially responded to Dalung’s allegations.

— PressNGR