Tinubu orders sweeping reform of Nigerian football after NFF leadership resigns

President Bola Tinubu has mandated a comprehensive overhaul of Nigerian football's administrative and developmental structures, following a significant shakeup that saw the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Gusau and other top officials.

The directive, announced Thursday, aims to tackle "longstanding weaknesses" within the sport's governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions, and overall accountability. President Tinubu emphasized that football, despite being Nigeria's most popular sport and a major recipient of public support, has "continued to struggle basically due to structural deficits within the system."

This intervention comes after a challenging period for Nigerian football. The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking their second consecutive absence from the tournament. The crisis deepened this month when the Super Falcons missed out on qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time since its inception in 1991.

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The reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football.

Gusau, who was elected NFF president in September 2022, resigned with 34 days left in his four-year term. The reform process will be facilitated by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, working in conjunction with the NFF Secretariat and relevant stakeholders. The initiative will also involve consultations with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to ensure Nigeria adheres to international football standards.

President Tinubu's directive places institutional reform at the forefront of the sport's future. The focus will be on strengthening the foundational elements of Nigerian football to foster progress comparable to other sports that have seen advancements under the newly re-established National Sports Commission.

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Football, Nigeria’s most popular sport and the greatest beneficiary of public support, investment and national attention, has continued to struggle basically due to structural deficits within the system.