President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following the country’s repeated struggles to qualify for major regional, continental and global tournaments.
The President said the reform was necessary to address longstanding structural challenges affecting the administration and development of football in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said the exercise would focus on strengthening governance, administration, stakeholder representation, player development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across the football sector.
“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 noted that while other sports had recorded significant progress following the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, football had continued to underperform because of persistent structural weaknesses.
“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 stressed that Nigeria’s football system must better harness the country’s abundant talent, passion and resources by building stronger institutions and ensuring sustained performance.
He directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work closely with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and other relevant stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad and consultative reform process.
The reform process, according to the President, should also involve appropriate engagement with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while ensuring that Nigeria continues to meet its obligations under the international football framework.
Tinubu urged football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition, stressing the need for collective efforts to build a more effective, transparent and accountable football system capable of restoring Nigeria’s place among the leading football nations.
The directive comes amid growing concerns over the performance and administration of Nigerian football, with calls mounting for institutional reforms to ensure improved development of the sport and better results for the country’s national teams.
