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For three months, former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, was denied access to the president. Every attempt to meet him ended with the same response: “The president is too busy.”
In an interview, Dalung revealed how the Villa’s power brokers—popularly called “the cabal”—took complete control of presidential communication, often distorting access and decisions.
According to him, the Nigerian presidency is structured in a way that unless the occupant is younger and constantly alert, he can be isolated and government run by proxies. He explained that the president may hold three titles—commander-in-chief, head of state, and chief executive—but in reality, these roles are often exercised through appointees who misuse their power.
Dalung said he wrote five official letters that were ignored. But as a grassroots politician, he devised another strategy. He contacted the president directly, who fixed an appointment for 2 p.m. the next day.
Anticipating another plot to block him, Dalung arrived by 1:30 p.m., passed security, and sat quietly in the waiting room. Spotting him on camera, the president invited him in earlier than scheduled.
“As I stepped out after our meeting,” Dalung recalled, “I met them coming with files as tall as myself, ready to occupy the president. They were disappointed.”
For him, it was proof that the so-called cabal could do almost anything—except stop determination.
