President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following a string of disappointing outings that saw the country’s senior men’s and women’s national teams fail to qualify for major international tournaments.
The President said the overhaul had become necessary to address persistent structural weaknesses blamed for Nigeria’s inability to translate its abundance of football talent, huge public investment, and passionate following into consistent results.
The directive comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns over the state of Nigerian football, particularly after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup-marking their second consecutive absence from the global tournament after missing Qatar 2022.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the expanded 48-team World Cup ended in November 2025 when the Super Eagles lost 4-3 on penalties to the Democratic Republic of Congo following a 1-1 draw in the African play-off final in Rabat, Morocco.
The failure was particularly painful as Nigeria, despite being top seeds in their qualifying group, finished second behind South Africa before advancing to the play-offs. The qualifying campaign was also dogged by managerial changes and administrative disputes over unpaid allowances and bonuses.
Nigeria’s women’s football suffered a similar setback when the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA World Cup-the first time the nine-time African champions will miss the global tournament since its inception in 1991.
The Falcons failed to secure a direct World Cup ticket after a quarterfinal exit at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, before losing 2-1 to South Africa in their final qualification decider.
The latest developments have intensified scrutiny of the country’s football administration, culminating on Thursday in the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, alongside key executive members.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu stressed that the restructuring must go beyond immediate results to address fundamental problems in the governance and development of the game.
‘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 observed that while other sports have recorded progress under the re-established National Sports Commission, football has continued to struggle due to deep-rooted structural deficits.
He subsequently directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to maintain administrative continuity while driving the consultative reform process.
According to the statement, the exercise will involve appropriate consultations with world football governing body, FIFA, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), ensuring Nigeria continues to meet its international obligations.
Tinubu called on administrators, players, and stakeholders to support the transition to establish a stronger and more accountable football ecosystem.