…Seeks overhaul of governance, administration, domestic competitions
…Directive follows World Cup misses by Super Eagles, Super Falcons
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, following a string of disappointing outings that have seen the country’s senior men’s and women’s national teams fail to qualify for major international tournaments.
The President said the overhaul had become necessary to address persistent structural weaknesses blamed for Nigeria’s inability to translate its abundance of football talent, huge public investment and passionate following into consistent results.
The directive comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns over the state of Nigerian football, particularly after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their second consecutive absence from the global tournament after also missing Qatar 2022.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the expanded 48-team World Cup ended in November 2025 when the Super Eagles lost 4-3 on penalties to the Democratic Republic of Congo after a 1-1 draw in the African play-off final in Rabat, Morocco.
The failure was particularly painful as Nigeria, despite being top seeds in their qualifying group, finished second behind South Africa before advancing to the play-offs.
The qualifying campaign was also dogged by managerial changes and administrative problems, including a boycott of training by players and officials over unpaid allowances and bonuses ahead of the
Nigeria’s women’s football has suffered a similar setback, with the Super Falcons failing to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since the competition began in 1991.
The Falcons had failed to secure a direct World Cup ticket at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations before eventually losing 2-1 to South Africa in the intercontinental play-off earlier this month.
The Nigeria Football Federation had apologised to Tinubu and Nigerians following the Falcons’ initial failure to secure direct qualification from the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, acknowledging the disappointment caused by the team’s performance.
The latest developments have intensified scrutiny of the country’s football administration, culminating on Thursday in the resignation of NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, and members of the federation’s executive committee.
Against this background, Tinubu, in a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the reform must go beyond immediate results to address fundamental problems in the administration and development of the game.
“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 said.
Tinubu observed that while other sports had recorded meaningful progress since the restructuring of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, football had continued to struggle because of weaknesses within its structure.
“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 said.
The President said the country’s football fortunes must begin to reflect the enormous pool of talent, passion and resources available to it, stressing the need for stronger institutions capable of delivering sustained success.
He consequently directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to maintain continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad and consultative reform process.
According to the statement, the exercise will involve appropriate consultations with the world football governing body, FIFA, and the Confederation of African Football, CAF, while ensuring that Nigeria continues to meet its obligations under the international football framework.
Tinubu called on football administrators, players, other stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and cooperate in efforts to establish a stronger, more accountable and successful football system.
