President Tinubu Directs Comprehensive Reform Of Nigerian Football
President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following a shake-up in the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement that the move became necessary to overcome repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments.
Tinubu said the reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football.
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, football has continued to struggle because of what he described as structural weaknesses within the system.
The president stressed that Nigerian football must begin to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance.
The president’s move came hours after the President of the NFF, Ibrahim Gusau, resigned from his position who said his decision to quit is to give other Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to the development of football in the country.
Gusau argued that despite the failure of the Super Eagles and Super Falcons to qualify for the World Cup, he was leaving the NFF in a better position than he found it.
The NFF came under intense pressure after the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, the first time the country won’t be at the tournament since its inception in 1991 and failure of Nigeria’s men’s national team, the Super Eagles to feature at the World Cup earlier this year.
