ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following the resignation of the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Musa Gusau, the federation’s General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, and members of its Executive Committee.
The President’s directive was contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
Tinubu said the reform was necessary to address Nigeria’s repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments.
“The reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football,” he said.
The President said that although other sports had recorded meaningful progress following the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission (NSC), football had continued to struggle because of structural weaknesses.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He stressed the need for Nigerian football to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance.
Tinubu consequently directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad and consultative reform process.
The President said the process would include appropriate engagement with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while safeguarding Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework.
He called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and work together to build a stronger, more accountable and successful football system.
The directive came on the same day Gusau announced his resignation as NFF President at a press conference in Abuja.
Gusau, who was elected NFF president in September 2022, said his decision followed consultations with his family, friends and stakeholders in the football community.
The NFF said Gusau had communicated his decision to members of the Executive Committee and that his resignation was made in the overriding interest of Nigerian football.
“My resignation is intended to give way to a comprehensive and orderly reform process aimed at addressing the longstanding institutional, governance and developmental challenges confronting Nigerian football,” Gusau said.
He said his decision was also intended to give other Nigerians an opportunity to contribute to the development of the sport.
Gusau defended his administration’s record, saying that despite the setbacks recorded by the national teams, he was leaving the federation in a better position than he found it.
The NFF later confirmed that Sanusi and members of the Executive Committee had also resigned, bringing the leadership shake-up to the entire top structure of the federation.
The resignations followed mounting pressure over the performances of Nigeria’s national teams and their failure to qualify for major international competitions.
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on penalties in the African qualification playoff.
The Super Falcons also failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing 2-1 to South Africa in the intercontinental playoff. The failure ended Nigeria’s record of qualifying for every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991.
The NFF had earlier inaugurated a fact-finding committee to examine the country’s recent disappointing performances in international football.
The leadership crisis comes about a month before the NFF’s scheduled elective congress on Sept. 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, creating uncertainty over the federation’s immediate transition and electoral process.
Tinubu’s directive is expected to place governance, administration, grassroots development, domestic competitions, stakeholder representation, accountability and pathways for developing young football talent at the centre of the proposed reforms.
The President said the ultimate objective was to build a football system capable of converting Nigeria’s enormous talent and passion for the sport into sustained success on the international stage.
