President Tinubu Directs Comprehensive Football Reform After NFF President’s Resignation
President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the NFF Executive Committee.
The President said the reform is aimed at addressing the repeated failures of Nigeria’s national teams to qualify for major regional, continental and world competitions.
“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.
Tinubu noted that while other sports have made meaningful progress since the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, football has 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.
The President stressed that Nigerian football must match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and better results.
He directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration and lead a broad consultation on the reform process.
The process will also include appropriate engagement with FIFA and CAF while protecting Nigeria’s obligations under the international football framework.
Tinubu called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and work together to build a stronger, more accountable and successful football system.
Gusau, Sanusi Resign as NFF Faces Major Shake-Up
Earlier on Thursday, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi resigned from their positions amid growing concerns over the recent poor performances of Nigeria’s national teams.
It was also learnt that members of the NFF Executive Committee had resigned.
Gusau resigned 34 days before the end of his four-year tenure. He was elected NFF President at the Annual General Assembly of Nigeria Football in Benin City, Edo State, on September 30, 2022.
Gusau said his decision followed consultations with his family, friends and stakeholders in the football community. He also said he had informed members of the Executive Committee.
“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.”
Speaking at a press conference at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja, Gusau said he was leaving office satisfied with some of the achievements recorded during his tenure.
He highlighted the increased focus on coaching education, saying coaching courses had been organised across almost all licence categories. He added that the long-awaited CAF A-License course is scheduled to begin on September 13.
Gusau also mentioned improvements in the domestic league calendar, progress in refereeing and the construction of a 68-room Players’ Hostel and new training pitches at the MKO Abiola National Stadium.
He also pointed to the Super Eagles’ silver and bronze medals at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the Super Falcons’ WAFCON triumph in Morocco in 2025.
However, the administration came under increased pressure following poor results from some of Nigeria’s national teams.
The latest setback was the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, ending Nigeria’s record of appearing at every edition of the tournament since it began in China 35 years ago.
That failure came after the Super Eagles missed out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Nigeria’s U20 team also failed to qualify for next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
The latest developments have now opened the way for the comprehensive reform ordered by President Tinubu.
