*President Bola Tinubu

* Malam Ibrahim Gusau

Reform

Abuja, August 28, 2026 (www.crestnewsonline.ng) President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football to overcome repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments.

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, disclosed this in a statement late Thursday in Abuja.

“The reform must respond to a long-standing need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football,” he quoted the President as saying.

The President noted that while other sports had recorded meaningful progress since the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission (NSC), football has continued to struggle because of structural weaknesses within the system.  

“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 stated that Nigerian football must begin to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance.  

President Tinubu directed the NSC Chairman to work with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration and facilitate a broad, consultative reform process.

The process will include appropriate engagement with FIFA and CAF while safeguarding Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework.  

The President called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and work together to build a stronger, more accountable and successful football system.  

This was in the wake of the resignation of Ibrahim Gusau earlier in the day from his position as NFF President, as well as that of Mohammed Sanusi as NFF General Secretary.

There was also a reported resignation of all other members of the NFF Executive Committee earlier.

Gusau and Sanusi had on Thursday resigned their positions, on the back of a groundswell of national disenchantment over recent dismal performances of the National Teams.

It was learnt that all the members of the NFF Executive Committee had also thrown in the towel.

Gusau’s resignation has come 34 days to the end of his four-year tenure.

He was elected NFF President at the Annual General Assembly of Nigeria Football held in Benin City, Edo State on September 30, 2022.

Gusau said his resignation followed consultations with his family, friends, and stakeholders within the football community.

He added that he had communicated his decision to the members of the Executive Committee.

Furthermore, Gusau confirmed that the decision to resign has been taken after careful consideration and 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.”

At a press conference inside the NFF Secretariat in Abuja, Gusau, who also functioned as President of WAFU B, said he was leaving office with a sense of satisfaction over what his administration had been able to achieve during his tenure.

He highlighted the renewed and vigorous focus on coaching education, noting that coaching courses have been organized in virtually all the license categories, with the long-awaited CAF A-Licence course set to commence on September 13.

Gusau also pointed to the improved stability in the domestic league calendar, progress in the refereeing sector and infrastructure in the form of a 68-room Players’ Hostel and new training pitches at the MKO Abiola National Stadium.

He did not forget to mention silver and bronze medal performances of the Super Eagles from the past two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, and the Super Falcons’ WAFCON triumph in Morocco in 2025.

Gusau had to bow out following new lows in the results of some of the national teams,mthe most recent and poignant being the failure of the senior women national team, Super Falcons, to reach the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

This, a first absence for Nigeria since the competition was launched in China 35 years ago, was preceded by the failure of the Super Eagles to reach the 48-team FIFA World Cup finals held in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer.

There was also the Under-20 male team’s failure to qualify for next year’s Africa Under-2 Cup of Nations.(www.crestnewsonline.ng)

*Edited by Olawale Alabi