World football body FIFA has thrown its weight behind Nigeria’s planned football reforms after formally accepting the mass resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership.
The development came after a high-powered Nigerian delegation met FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other officials at FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
The delegation was led by National Sports Commission Chairman Shehu Dikko and included NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, acting NFF General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme and NFF Director of Legal Services Okey Obi.
FIFA, the NFF said, agreed to continue discussions with the Federal Government, the NFF and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to draw up a roadmap for sweeping reforms of Nigerian football.
The proposed reforms are expected to cover the immediate, medium and long-term future of the game, with emphasis on producing an inclusive and stable NFF administration.
NFF acting Deputy General Secretary Dr Ademola Olajire said the Zurich meeting produced an agreement to fine-tune the reform roadmap and create an enabling environment for Nigerian football to regain stability and success.
Dikko, meanwhile, assured that the reform process would be thorough and guided by FIFA, CAF and Nigerian football statutes and regulations.
The FIFA meeting followed the dramatic collapse of the NFF leadership after President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and the 11 other members of the executive committee resigned en masse.
Their exit created a major leadership vacuum and triggered calls for a complete overhaul of the federation.
President Bola Tinubu had also demanded urgent action following what he described as repeated failures in Nigerian football.
An interim administration has since been put in place, with Ikpeme taking over as acting general secretary and Olajire serving as acting deputy general secretary.
Gusau, whose tenure was expected to run until September, confirmed his resignation at a press conference in Abuja last Thursday.
The NFF had come under increasing pressure over Nigeria’s disappointing performances, including the failure of the Super Eagles and Super Falcons to qualify for their respective World Cups.
The federation has also faced scrutiny over governance, financial management and the overall direction of Nigerian football.
With FIFA now backing the reform process, attention shifts to how quickly the proposed shake-up will produce a new, inclusive and fully restructured NFF.
