Tinubu Orders Comprehensive Reform of Nigerian Football After NFF Leadership Resignations

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following a series of failures by the country’s national teams to qualify for major international competitions.

The directive was issued on Thursday night, August 27, just hours 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 the country’s football.

The NFF confirmed the mass resignations in a statement, saying Gusau’s decision was aimed at creating room for “a comprehensive and orderly reform process” to tackle the longstanding institutional, governance and developmental challenges affecting the sport.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the presidential directive, saying Tinubu wants the reforms to address Nigeria’s repeated failure to qualify for major regional, continental and global competitions.

According to the President, the decline in Nigerian football is largely linked to structural weaknesses within the system. He pointed to the progress recorded in other sporting disciplines following the restructuring of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission as an example of what could be achieved through institutional reforms.

Tinubu said the proposed changes must strengthen governance and administration while improving stakeholder representation, player development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across the football ecosystem.

“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.

The President further stressed that despite football being Nigeria’s most popular sport and receiving significant public support, investment and national attention, the country has continued to struggle because of weaknesses embedded 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,” he added.

The reform directive comes at a critical moment for Nigerian football, with the resignation of the NFF leadership expected to pave the way for wider changes aimed at rebuilding the administration and restoring the country’s competitiveness on the international stage.