President Bola Tinubu has ordered a sweeping overhaul of Nigerian football, aiming to end the country’s persistent failure to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments.
According to the President, the reform is intended to fix longstanding weaknesses in governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across the sport.
He observed that other sports have shown real progress since the sports sector was reset under the re-established National Sports Commission, but football has lagged behind due to deep structural problems.
“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 emphasized that Nigeria’s football sector must finally match the nation’s abundant talent, passion and resources with strong institutions and consistent results.
To carry out the reform, Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to collaborate with the NFF Secretariat and key football stakeholders, ensuring continuity in core football administration while leading a broad, consultative reform process.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who announced the development in a statement on Thursday said the process would involve appropriate engagement with FIFA and CAF, while ensuring Nigeria continues to meet its obligations under the international football framework.
The statement said the President urged football stakeholders and Nigerians generally to back the transition and work together toward a stronger, more accountable and more successful football system.
