Jalla Condemns League Boards Dissolution, Demands Immediate Restoration

Chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative, Prince Harrison Jalla, has condemned the dissolution of Nigeria’s domestic league boards, describing the move as a “fatal error” that could further destabilise the country’s football administration.

Jalla said the National Sports Commission (NSC) should immediately restore the structures overseeing the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and other domestic competitions, arguing that their future should be determined by the incoming Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board.

His position comes amid the ongoing transition in Nigerian football following the resignation of NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, Secretary-General Mohammed Sanusi and several members of the federation’s executive committee.

“It was a fatal error to have dissolved the Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye and other league boards and their structures,” Jalla said in a statement.

“That should be the responsibility of the incoming NFF Board. Not even when the NPFL has just secured a sponsorship deal of $7.5 million should you throw away the baby and the bath water.”

Jalla argued that the restructuring of the domestic leagues should not form part of the current transition process, insisting that existing structures should be preserved until an elected NFF administration assumes office.

He cited the 2006 NFF crisis as an example of how a leadership transition could be managed without dismantling the country’s football structures.

According to him, the removal of the late Ibrahim Galadima and his board in 2006 did not lead to the wholesale destruction of the professional league and other competition structures.

Jalla recalled that the late Chief Oyiuki Obaseki, who was then second vice-president of the NFF, stepped in as acting president and supervised the transition that eventually produced the Sani Lulu Abdullahi-led board.

He argued that the same principle should guide the current transition, with stakeholders maintaining existing structures while working towards a credible NFF election.

“The structure was not completely destroyed when late Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, of blessed memory, and his board were removed from office,” Jalla said.

“The professional league and other league structures were retained in line with the CAF, FIFA and NFF statutes.”

He therefore called for the immediate restoration of the NPFL, NNL, NWFL and NLO structures, which he said should be returned to the status quo pending the emergence of a new NFF leadership.

“The simple solution is to immediately restore all the leagues and their structures back to the status quo,” he said.

Jalla also criticised the role of the NSC in the ongoing NFF transition, urging its leadership to step back and allow football stakeholders to drive the process.

He said the NSC should instead receive the report of the transition process and forward it to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“While Dikko and the NSC should take a back seat and wait for official reports of the transition process for onward transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a concerted effort by stakeholders should drive the transition process,” he said.

Jalla’s intervention adds to growing debate over the direction of Nigerian football following the sweeping changes to the NFF administration and domestic league structures.

He warned that decisions taken during the transition could have long-term consequences for the administration and development of the domestic game.

The reform advocate also maintained that Nigerian football stakeholders should be allowed to resolve their internal disagreements without excessive external intervention.

He said stakeholders must make their position clear during forthcoming engagements with FIFA and demonstrate that Nigerian football has the capacity to resolve its governance crisis internally.

“We, Nigeria football stakeholders, must make our position clear in the upcoming meetings with FIFA that we are capable of resolving our issues and differences without third parties,” Jalla said.