President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, citing repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global tournaments.
The President said the reform is necessary to address longstanding structural weaknesses affecting the governance, administration, development and performance of football in Nigeria.
According to PBAT, the process must strengthen stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across the football system.
“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.
Tinubu noted that other sports had recorded meaningful progress since the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, while football continued to face challenges largely rooted in weaknesses within its existing structure.
He stressed that Nigeria’s football system must better reflect the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources by building stronger institutions capable of delivering sustained success.
The President consequently directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to maintain continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad and consultative reform process.
The proposed reforms are expected to cover governance, administration, stakeholder participation, grassroots and player development, domestic competitions and accountability.
Tinubu also directed that the reform process include 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.
The President called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition, stressing the need for collective efforts to build a stronger, more transparent, accountable and successful football system.
The directive comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with concerns over the effectiveness of its football administration and the country’s inconsistent performance on the international stage.