FG orders sweeping reforms in Nigerian football amid NFF crisis

President Bola Tinubu has directed a “comprehensive reform” of Nigerian football following a series of setbacks involving the country’s national teams.

The President’s directive came on Thursday, shortly after Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s Executive Committee resigned amid growing concerns over the state of football administration in the country.

The NFF confirmed the mass resignations in a statement on Thursday, saying Gusau’s decision was intended to pave the way for “a comprehensive and orderly reform process” to address longstanding institutional, governance and developmental challenges confronting the game.

Announcing the presidential directive, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu ordered the reform to enable Nigeria to overcome its repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global competitions.

The President attributed the persistent decline in the fortunes of Nigerian football to what he described as “structural weaknesses” within the system, noting that other sports had recorded progress following the restructuring of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission (NSC).

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

He added: “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.”

Follow Very Nigerian WhatsApp Channel
For Verified Breaking News, Exclusive Reports, Trending Stories, And Real-time Updates.
CLICk HERE TO JOIN!