...Seeks governance reforms, stronger development pathways, accountability

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive overhaul of Nigerian football, with a focus on addressing the structural and administrative weaknesses blamed for the country’s repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global tournaments.

The President said the reform must strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, player-development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across the football sector.

Tinubu gave the directive against the backdrop of what he described as the persistent underperformance of Nigerian football despite the country’s abundant talent, huge following and substantial public support.

“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,” the President said.

He noted that other sports had recorded meaningful progress following the reset of the sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, stressing that football could no longer afford to remain constrained by institutional weaknesses.

According to him, the objective of the reform is to ensure that Nigeria’s football administration and development structures begin to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance.

Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and other relevant stakeholders to maintain continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad-based and consultative reform process.

The process, he said, should involve wide engagement with stakeholders across the football ecosystem and appropriate consultations with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The President, however, stressed that the reform must be undertaken in a manner that safeguards Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework.

He called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition, saying collective efforts were required to build a stronger, more transparent, accountable and successful football system capable of translating Nigeria’s vast football potential into sustained results on the domestic and international stages.