President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football aimed at addressing persistent challenges that have hindered the country’s qualification for major regional, continental, and global tournaments.
The President said the reform initiative is designed to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, player development pathways, domestic competitions, and accountability within the football system.
According to President Tinubu, while other sports have recorded notable achievements following the restructuring of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission (NSC), football has continued to struggle due to deep-rooted structural deficiencies.
“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 stated.
He emphasized the need for Nigerian football to align its abundant talent, passion, and resources with stronger institutions capable of delivering sustained success on the international stage.
To achieve this, President Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to collaborate with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and other key stakeholders to ensure continuity in football administration while facilitating a broad and consultative reform process.
The President also stressed that the reform process would involve engagement with international football governing bodies, including FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while ensuring Nigeria remains compliant with global football regulations.
He called on football stakeholders, administrators, players, supporters, and Nigerians at large to support the transition and work collectively towards building a more accountable, competitive, and successful football system.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
Source: Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), August 27, 2026.
