NIGERIA FOOTBALL REFORM: THREE-MONTH TRANSITION IS PERFECT TIMELINE
The Arise TV interview granted by Mallam Shehu Dikko on 4th September 2026 stands as the official statement from the National Sports Commission on the way forward, in the absence of a formal press statement outlining the shape, complexion, and pathway the reform would take.
What caught our Advocacy’s attention, as well as that of many other stakeholders, is the timeline of the transition and the figures mentioned as received by the two previous NFF Boards (2014–2022 and 2022–2026).
In that part of the interview that has to do with the timeline, the Chairman painted a picture of a complex, unwieldy, and vague transition ranging from three to six months, and possibly up to a year.
No doubt, the National Sports Commission must be commended on the way and manner it peacefully eased the Ibrahim Gusau-led board out of office. It was a masterclass strategy. The NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, and his team must also be commended for listening to the voice of reason and voluntarily relinquishing office.
Moving forward, Nigerian football stakeholders already know what the issues with Nigerian football are: the composition of the Congress, the Executive Board, the standing committees, opening up the Congress to other relevant groups, including the private sector, and correcting the imbalance in voting rights.
These anomalies cannot take more than three months to address. This includes determining whether we have to revisit the NFA Act 2004, review the NFF Statutes, or register the Association as an NGO with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
This transition must also give adequate room for the participation of the Footballers’ Bloc, which has been at the forefront of the agitation for this change for over two decades. The policy of divide and rule against the Footballers’ Bloc must end with this new dawn.
The entire transition process, with due respect, is not a long and complicated process as presented by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission.
We must also take note of the upcoming national elections calendar as presented by INEC, so as not to be caught in the web of the national elections. In Nigeria, government is the biggest funder of football, and it always takes time for a new government to settle down after elections.
The NFF elections can be peacefully conducted in early January 2027. A three-month transition timeline is sufficient to get our acts together.
Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, GCFR, originally embarked on a nine-month transition to civilian administration after the sudden death of former Head of State, General Sani Abacha. The transition eventually stretched to eleven months for the entire nation.
What reform do we really need in our football that should exceed three months?
While we expect more information on the transition process, we look forward to a transparent and democratic process.
We also disagree with the figures presented by Mallam Shehu Dikko that the money received by the Ibrahim Gusau-led board was five times more than what the failed former NFF President’s board (2014–2022) received.
This issue will be formally addressed in our next release.
Prince Harrison Jalla Chairman Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative
