Ex-NFF Chiefs Demand 6-month Normalisation Committee To Reset Nigerian Football

The growing crisis over the leadership and administration of Nigerian football took a significant turn on Tuesday as former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) presidents, secretaries-general, football stakeholders and sports journalists presented their positions to FIFA and CAF officials in Abuja.

At the consultation, the former NFF administrators jointly called for the immediate establishment of a six-month Normalisation Committee to overhaul the country’s football administration before fresh elections are held.

The meeting formed part of the ongoing FIFA and CAF consultations with Nigerian football stakeholders following the leadership crisis at the NFF and growing calls for structural reforms.

Those at Tuesday’s meeting included former NFF presidents Sani Abdullahi Lulu and Aminu Maigari; former first vice-president Senator Obinna Ogba; and former secretaries-general Sani Toro, Musa Amadu, Fanny Amun, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Tijani Yusuf.

Also present were Remo Stars chairman Kunle Soname, former international Segun Odegbami, representatives of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), led by president Isaiah Benjamin and secretary-general Ikenna Okonkwo, as well as veteran journalists Mitchell Obi and Mumuni Alao.

According to Leadership Sports, the former administrators submitted a joint position paper arguing that Nigeria’s recurring football crises, administrative bottlenecks and declining public confidence were rooted in structural weaknesses rather than isolated administrative failures.

The proposed six-month roadmap would begin with broad stakeholder consultations, followed by local football council and State FA elections, an expanded NFF Congress and, ultimately, elections into the NFF leadership.

The group also demanded a review of the NFF’s voting structure, arguing that State Football Associations currently control about 84 per cent of Congress voting power.

It called for greater representation for leagues, players, coaches, referees and grassroots football bodies, alongside a relaxation of restrictive eligibility requirements that have limited participation by qualified candidates outside established power blocs.

SWAN, in its separate submission, warned against simply holding another election under the existing structures.

The journalists argued that such an approach could reproduce the institutional weaknesses responsible for the current crisis.

Instead, SWAN proposed a “National Football Governance Reset”, encompassing a comprehensive review of the NFF Statutes, Congress, membership categories, Electoral College, constituencies, Executive Committee, league governance, State FAs, grassroots football, women’s and youth football, players, coaches, referees, media, former internationals and commercial stakeholders.

It also called for reforms covering financial governance, infrastructure, legislation, dispute resolution, integrity mechanisms and the relationship between government and football administration.

SWAN stressed that its intervention was not aimed at supporting or opposing any individual seeking office.

Its central argument was that Nigeria must move from changing football administrators to changing the institutions through which football is governed.

The meeting was also attended by former NFF president Amaju Pinnick, although he was not listed among the signatories to the former administrators’ joint document. Former president Sani Lulu also did not sign the document.