Time For Gusau-led NFF Board To Quit, Says Danladi Bako

Veteran sports broadcaster and former Sokoto State Football Association chairman, Danladi Bako, has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board led by Ibrahim Gusau to resign, blaming the leadership for what he described as the country’s deepening football crisis.

Bako said the NFF leadership had lost the moral authority to remain in office after Nigeria’s failure to qualify for successive FIFA World Cups in 2022 and 2026.

In a strongly worded statement, Bako said the repeated failures had inflicted enormous pain on millions of Nigerian football supporters, particularly after FIFA increased Africa’s World Cup allocation.

For the countless fans who eagerly download Betwinner and similar platforms to engage with international tournaments, being forced to watch from the sidelines is an agonizing reality.

He contrasted Nigeria’s absence with the qualification of smaller nations, arguing that the country had squandered opportunities created by the expanded format.

Bako, who produced NTA’s Mastersports programme in 1992 and said he was involved in advocacy for an increase in Africa’s World Cup slots, described Nigeria’s current situation as unacceptable.

He also criticised the Super Eagles’ recent performances and questioned the accountability surrounding the government’s reported N12 billion release for Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Côte d’Ivoire.

Turning to the women’s game, Bako said the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup following their defeat by South Africa was equally painful.

He rejected explanations blaming coaches, players, pitches or bad luck for Nigeria’s poor results, insisting that the fundamental problem was administrative incompetence.

“No, it is sheer incompetence that produces these kinds of results,” Bako said, drawing from his experience as a former football administrator and Special Adviser to then Sports Minister Jim Nwobodo.

He also criticised Nigeria’s underperforming age-grade teams and called for a fundamental restructuring of the country’s football administration.

Bako advocated a review of the NFF Statutes and electoral system, arguing that Premier League clubs should have greater voting influence in choosing the federation’s leadership.

He questioned why former Nigeria internationals and football icons such as Felix Owolabi, Daniel Amokachi, Nwankwo Kanu and Segun Odegbami were largely excluded from decision-making structures despite their experience.

The veteran broadcaster further called for an NFF president with strong administrative, financial and football credentials, arguing that the position requires a leader capable of inspiring players, appointing quality coaches and attracting resources.

Bako ultimately urged the NFF board to emulate football associations that resigned after failing to qualify for major tournaments.

“The Italian Football Federation Board resigned for not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Many other Associations did exactly that when they failed to qualify,” he said.

He therefore urged the relevant authorities to persuade Gusau and his board to “resign, take a bow” and pave the way for a new leadership capable of rebuilding Nigerian football.