Tinubu Directs Comprehensive Reform of Nigerian Football to Overcome Repeated Failures to Qualify for Tournaments

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough overhaul of Nigerian football in an effort to surmount the persistent inability to qualify for significant regional, continental, and international competitions. Speaking through presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu outlined that the reform must address the long-standing necessity to bolster governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development routes, domestic leagues, and accountability within Nigerian football.

The president's statement came in a release following the sports sector's re-establishment under the reinvigorated National Sports Commission (NSC). Tinubu noted that while other sports have achieved notable advancements since the sector's reset, football has lagged due to structural shortcomings within the system. He emphasized that Nigeria's most popular sport and the primary recipient of public funds, investment, and national focus, has been unable to keep pace with the nation's remarkable talent, enthusiasm, and resources due to inherent system deficiencies.

In response to this challenge, Tinubu instructed the chairman of the NSC to collaborate with the NFF secretariat and other pertinent football stakeholders to guarantee continuity in crucial football management and to initiate a comprehensive, inclusive reform process. This endeavor will involve meaningful engagement with FIFA and CAF, all while respecting Nigeria's commitments within the global football framework.

Tinubu urged football stakeholders and citizens to back the transition and collaborate towards constructing a more robust, accountable, and triumphant football infrastructure.