The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, and several members of the federation’s executive committee have reportedly resigned amid growing pressure over the administration of Nigerian football.
The reported resignations come against the backdrop of mounting criticism of the NFF leadership following a series of disappointing results and concerns over the management of the country’s football affairs.
The latest setback was Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, ending the Super Falcons’ record of appearing at every edition of the tournament since its inception in 1991.
According to reports, the NFF board has also come under scrutiny from security agencies over the management of government funds allocated to the country’s national teams.
Vanguard reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) has requested documentation on the utilisation of a N17 billion Federal Government intervention fund approved in 2024 to settle outstanding wages, bonuses and other financial obligations owed to national-team players.
An authoritative source cited by Vanguard said the DSS requested financial records detailing how the funds released to the NFF were utilised, describing the exercise as a routine examination of the federation’s financial records.
The development comes amid wider concerns about the state of Nigerian football. The Super Eagles have missed consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, while the Super Falcons recently suffered a historic failure to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The Falcons’ qualification campaign took a major blow after they lost 1–0 to Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The defeat ended Nigeria’s title defence and sent the team into the World Cup qualification playoff route.
Nigeria subsequently suffered a 2–1 defeat to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in the playoff, bringing their hopes of reaching the 2027 World Cup to an end.
The failure marked a significant setback for Nigerian women’s football, given the Super Falcons’ unbroken record of participation in every FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
The NFF executive committee led by Gusau had reportedly faced increasing calls to resign, with eight of the federation’s 13 board members said to have already stepped down.
The reported mass departures could also have implications for the NFF’s scheduled elections on September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, potentially affecting the planned process for electing a new executive board.