Earthquake in Nigerian Football: NFF President, Entire Executive Committee Resign
Nigerian football has been plunged into turmoil after president Ibrahim Gusau, general secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and the rest of the NFF’s 13-man executive committee all stepped down on Thursday, leaving the Super Eagles’ governing body without leadership.
Gusau, who announced his exit at a news conference in Abuja, had just 34 days left on his mandate and was widely expected to seek re-election. Instead, he confirmed he was walking away after what he called consultations with family, friends and football stakeholders, insisting he remains confident about the sport’s future in the country.
The resignation caps a torrid period for Nigerian football. The Super Eagles have now missed two straight World Cups, and pressure on the federation boiled over after the Super Falcons — reigning African champions — crashed out of Wafcon at the quarter-final stage to Cameroon, then lost a World Cup play-off to South Africa. That result ended Nigeria’s unbeaten record of qualifying for every Women’s World Cup since the tournament’s 1991 debut.
It’s a stunning fall for one of the continent’s traditional heavyweights, even accounting for the Super Eagles’ runners-up finish at AFCON 2023 under Gusau’s watch. Nigeria’s age-grade sides have also struggled to leave a mark continentally and globally in recent years.
Money matters and murky governance
Beyond results on the pitch, the NFF’s leadership has been dogged by questions over how the federation is run and how its finances are managed. Scrutiny has centred on a reported ₦17 billion (about $12.66m) intervention fund said to have been approved by President Bola Tinubu in 2024 to clear outstanding debts owed to Nigeria’s national teams. No official findings have been made public, but reviews of financial records and administrative processes are reportedly underway.
Adding fuel to the fire, a fact-finding panel set up after the Wafcon exit flagged troubling issues at board level — including claims that some NFF board members meddle in team selection, and allegations that call-ups have at times been influenced by financial gain rather than form.
What happens now?
The NFF has called an emergency congress in Abuja to chart a way forward, with the executive committee’s status and compliance with FIFA, CAF and NFF statutes expected to dominate discussions. The chaos has also cast a shadow over federation elections billed for September, with talk already growing of a possible FIFA-backed normalisation committee stepping in to steady the ship and organise fresh polls.
Football legends John Obi Mikel, Jay-Jay Okocha and Segun Odegbami are among those who have called for a total shake-up, arguing Nigerian football cannot move forward while the same faces keep recycling through the corridors of power.
It’s a moment of genuine crisis for Nigerian football — but for some, it’s also a rare window for real reform. The big question now: can trust be rebuilt in the NFF as it fights fires both on and off the pitch?
