President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following the country’s repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global tournaments.
The President said the reform was necessary to address longstanding structural weaknesses affecting the governance, administration and development of football in Nigeria.
According to him, the exercise must strengthen stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across the football system.
“Football, Nigeria’s most popular sport and the greatest beneficiary of public support, investment and national attention, has continued to struggle basically due to structural deficits within the system,” Tinubu said.
The President noted that while other sports have recorded meaningful progress following the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission (NSC), Nigerian football has continued to experience setbacks.
He stressed that the country must build institutions capable of matching Nigeria’s exceptional football talent, passion and resources with sustained performance and improved results.
As part of the reform process, Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and other relevant football stakeholders.
The President tasked them with ensuring continuity in essential football administration while facilitating a broad and consultative process aimed at restructuring the game.
The process is expected to involve extensive consultations with stakeholders within Nigeria, as well as appropriate engagement with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Tinubu, however, directed that the reform should safeguard Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework.
The President called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and work collectively towards building a stronger, more transparent, accountable and successful football system.
The directive comes amid growing concerns over the performance and administration of Nigerian football, particularly the inability of the national teams to consistently secure qualification for major competitions despite the abundance of football talent in the country.
The President said the ultimate objective of the reform is to create a football system with stronger institutions, clearer development pathways and sustainable structures capable of delivering improved results at domestic, continental and international levels.
The statement was issued on Thursday, August 27, 2026, by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.