President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, on Thursday announced his resignation from office at a world press conference held at the NFF headquarters in Abuja.
Gusau, who addressed journalists at 1:42 pm at the Sunday Dankaro Secretariat, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, said his decision to step aside was in the interest of Nigerian football following what he described as an unprecedented period of crisis in the administration of the game.
The resignation, which had been the subject of weeks of speculation, was formally confirmed today at an emergency meeting of the NFF Congress, where attendance was described as mandatory.
The press conference, convened amid mounting pressure over the federation’s September elective congress and reports of investigations into the federation’s finances, brings to an end the tenure of the Gusau-led Executive Committee, which assumed office in September 2022.
Non-qualification crisis
Gusau, in his valedictory address, admitted that Nigerian football had faced profound setbacks under his watch, particularly the failure of national teams to qualify for major international tournaments.
He noted that his administration had come under intense criticism following Nigeria’s recent football setbacks, particularly the failure of the Super Eagles and Super Falcons to qualify for their respective FIFA World Cups.
The Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing to DR Congo in the Africa Playoff Final in Rabat on penalties has triggered calls for a complete overhaul of the NFF leadership. It is the second consecutive time Nigeria will miss the Mundial, a development the NFF had earlier described as “a moment of profound sadness for Nigerian football.”
Stakeholders and fans across the country have demanded that the board take responsibility and step aside as pressure mounts ahead of the federation’s next electoral cycle.
The federation has also faced scrutiny from Nigeria’s anti-corruption and security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Gusau lists achievements
Despite the turbulence, the outgoing president defended his record, citing key reforms in refereeing, national team management and commercial partnerships.
On refereeing, Gusau said his leadership made significant strides in ensuring that only competent referees are allowed to officiate in the league, through training with support from CAF and FIFA.
He recalled that his administration in January decorated 30 Nigerian referees with FIFA badges in Abuja and demanded integrity and professionalism from them, and approved programmes to train at least 10 Nigerian referees on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology before the end of the year.
He added that the inclusion of Nigerian referees in international tournaments under his tenure, after years of exclusion, was a testament to improved capacity and credibility of Nigerian officiating.
On the Super Eagles, Gusau argued that despite the qualification failure, the team witnessed improved welfare, stability and technical support compared to previous years, with enhanced camping allowances and charter arrangements.
On commercial growth, Gusau said his board succeeded in renewing and upgrading NFF sponsorship contracts which had stagnated in previous years, securing a new and improved deal with global sportswear giant Adidas as the official kit sponsor of the national teams.
The NFF and Adidas had previously signed improved contracts worth millions of Euros, moving from a contract worth only Euro 300,000 inherited from predecessors to a multi-million Euro deal, a model he said his administration replicated with new partners.
What next
Gusau, who had previously dismissed reports that he was preparing to quit, said today’s decision would provide clarity on the forthcoming 2026 NFF elections and the future of the federation’s current Executive Committee.
With Gusau and other board members stepping down on Thursday, 27 August, the NFF Congress is expected to constitute a normalization arrangement pending the September elections, while the Federal Government and FIFA are being notified of the development.
Attempts to get the NFF General Secretary for additional comments were unsuccessful as of press time.
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