The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Ibrahim Gusau, and several members of the federation’s executive committee have resigned amid growing pressure over the management of Nigerian football.
The development comes after a series of setbacks involving the country’s national teams and growing scrutiny over the handling of funds released by the Federal Government for football-related obligations.
The NFF leadership had faced mounting criticism following the poor performance and administration of the national teams, with the latest setback being the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in the history of the competition.
The crisis within the federation was further worsened by investigations into the use of government funds released to settle outstanding financial obligations to players and officials of the national teams.
The Department of State Services, DSS, reportedly joined other security agencies in examining the activities of the NFF, particularly the utilisation of a ₦17 billion intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu in 2024.
The money was released to address outstanding wages, bonuses and other payments owed to members of Nigeria’s national football teams.
Sources familiar with the matter said security officials had requested documents and records showing how the funds were received and spent by the federation.
The investigation has added to the pressure already facing the NFF leadership, although the probe has been described as part of efforts to examine the financial records surrounding the government intervention.
The latest developments come against the backdrop of concerns about the direction of Nigerian football, with the national teams facing a number of setbacks in recent years.
The Super Eagles have missed consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, while the Super Falcons have now suffered a historic setback after failing to secure a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
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Nigeria’s women’s team entered the World Cup qualification process as one of Africa’s strongest sides and had maintained a record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
That record came to an end after the Falcons failed to progress through the qualification route.
The team’s problems became more serious after Nigeria lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The defeat ended the Falcons’ title defence and forced them into a separate qualification route for the World Cup.
Nigeria subsequently faced South Africa in the qualification playoff, but the Banyana Banyana secured a 2-1 victory to deny the Falcons a place at the tournament.
The poor results have increased calls for changes within the administration of Nigerian football, with the NFF executive committee coming under pressure to take responsibility for the situation.
The pressure was also intensified by the resignation of several members of the board before Gusau and other officials reportedly followed suit.
Reports indicate that as many as eight of the 13 members of the NFF board have now left their positions, leaving the federation facing an internal leadership crisis.
The departures could also affect the federation’s planned electoral process. The NFF had scheduled its next board elections for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The resignation of a large number of board members could create uncertainty over whether the election will proceed as planned or whether new arrangements will be required to address the leadership vacuum.
The NFF is now faced with the task of managing the transition while dealing with investigations into its financial affairs and concerns over the performance of Nigeria’s national teams.
The development has further deepened the crisis surrounding Nigerian football, with questions now expected to focus on the future leadership of the federation and the measures required to restore confidence in the administration of the sport.
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