Football in Turmoil: NFF Leadership Resigns as Tinubu Orders Sweeping Overhaul

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, citing repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental, and world tournaments. This directive, disclosed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions, and accountability across the sport.

President Tinubu noted that while other sports have made meaningful progress since the re-establishment of the National Sports Commission, football, Nigeria’s most popular sport and a significant beneficiary of public support, continues to struggle due to structural weaknesses. He stressed that Nigerian football must evolve to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion, and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance.

To facilitate this change, Tinubu has instructed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to collaborate with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders. This collaboration aims to ensure continuity in essential football administration and to foster a broad, consultative reform process. This process will include appropriate engagement with FIFA and CAF while safeguarding Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework. The President called upon football stakeholders and all Nigerians to support this transition, working collectively to build a stronger, more accountable, and successful football system.

These reform efforts coincide with significant upheaval within the NFF. The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, along with several other board members, has reportedly resigned amidst escalating pressure over the management of Nigerian football. The NFF leadership has faced growing criticism following a series of disappointing results and administrative concerns.

A major catalyst for these resignations was the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history. The Falcons’ campaign ended with a defeat in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals and a subsequent loss to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in the World Cup qualification playoff. Furthermore, the Super Eagles have also missed consecutive FIFA World Cups, adding to the nation's football woes.

The NFF board also came under scrutiny from security agencies, with the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly investigating the utilization of a N17 billion Federal Government intervention fund. Approved in 2024, this fund was intended to settle outstanding wages and bonuses owed to national-team players. Authoritative sources indicate that the DSS has requested documentation detailing how the funds released to the NFF were used, describing the investigation as a routine examination of financial records.

The probe and the widespread concerns about the state of Nigerian football, combined with the reports of eight out of 13 board members having already stepped down, could have significant implications. These mass departures potentially disrupt the NFF’s scheduled September 27 elections in Lafia, Nasarawa State, which were meant to elect the federation’s next board.