Major Football Reform Looms as National League Directors, Chairmen Set to Exit
Nigeria’s football administration is set for a major shake-up following the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and several members of the federation’s Executive Committee.
The latest development will affect the administration of the country’s major domestic leagues, as chairmen, directors and chief executive officers overseeing the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and Nationwide League One have been directed to hand over their responsibilities as part of an interim arrangement.
The decision followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football after years of concerns over governance, administration and the declining fortunes of the country’s national teams.
Under the new arrangement, the affected league officials are expected to transfer the running of their competitions to Chief Operating Officers who are members of staff of the NFF.
Where an existing COO is not an NFF staff member, the acting General Secretary will appoint a replacement from within the federation.
The move is intended to keep the domestic leagues running while the authorities work on a broader restructuring of Nigerian football in consultation with FIFA, CAF, government officials and other stakeholders.
The National Sports Commission has also approved an interim leadership arrangement at the NFF Secretariat. Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, who previously served as Deputy General Secretary, will now oversee the secretariat as acting General Secretary, while the former Director of Media and Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, will serve as acting Deputy General Secretary.
The changes come less than 24 hours after Gusau announced his resignation from the NFF presidency. Several members of his executive committee also stepped down, deepening the leadership crisis that has affected the federation.
The development has also put the planned NFF elective Congress in doubt. All preparations for the election scheduled for September 27 have been suspended, with authorities indicating that an entirely new electoral process will be initiated after the proposed reforms are completed.
Rather than proceed with the existing timetable, the authorities intend to first establish a new framework for the administration of the sport before commencing another election process.
The reform process is expected to involve extensive consultations with FIFA and CAF to ensure that changes to the country’s football administration do not conflict with international football regulations.
The interim measures are designed to prevent the disruption of football activities while the authorities determine a long-term structure for the sport.
The leadership crisis emerged at a time when Nigerian football was already facing widespread criticism over poor performances and repeated qualification failures involving several national teams.
Tinubu had earlier described the problems confronting Nigerian football as largely structural, arguing that the country’s abundant talent and huge public interest had not translated into consistent success because of weaknesses in the way the sport was organised and administered.
“The reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football,” the President said.
He added that football had continued to struggle despite improvements recorded in other areas of Nigerian sports following the return of the National Sports Commission.
“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.
The President consequently directed the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF Secretariat and other stakeholders on the reform process, with international football bodies expected to be part of the consultations.
The restructuring is also coming against the backdrop of investigations into aspects of the federation’s financial activities. Authorities have reportedly been examining issues surrounding a N17bn intervention fund approved by Tinubu in 2024 to settle outstanding salaries, bonuses and other financial obligations involving Nigeria’s national teams.
A source familiar with the matter said the examination of the documents was a routine part of the investigation.
“It’s a normal thing for DSS to go through all documents relating to the funds released them,” the source said.
Another security source, however, stressed that the financial inquiry should not be confused with a separate investigation involving alleged contacts between some football officials and foreign nationals.
“It is true that President Bola Tinubu in 2024 approved N17 billion as a special intervention fund to help NFF clear outstanding payments owed to Nigeria’s national teams. However, that falls within the purview of the EFCC, not the DSS and NIA,” the source said.
The crisis has further exposed concerns about Nigeria’s recent football performance. The Super Eagles missed the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, while the Super Falcons recently failed to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after losing to South Africa in the qualifying playoff.
The women’s team had previously appeared at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
Nigeria’s youth teams have also suffered setbacks, with the Golden Eaglets missing the last three editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup despite being the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won the title five times.
The Dream Team, Nigeria’s U-23 side, has similarly struggled to maintain the level of success associated with the team that won Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996.
