The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Ibrahim Gusau, along with other members of the federation’s executive board, have resigned from office, following weeks of mounting pressure over the poor management of the country’s football fortunes.
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The resignations come in the wake of the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament’s inception, a development that has intensified scrutiny of the federation’s leadership.
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Vanguard gathered that the NFF board had also faced pressure from security agencies investigating how funds released by the Federal Government for the national teams were managed.
DSS Probes N17bn Fund
The Department of State Services, DSS, is among security agencies investigating the NFF over the utilisation of a N17 billion Federal Government intervention fund released to the federation for players’ wages and bonuses. The fund was approved by President Bola Tinubu in 2024 to offset outstanding payments owed to Nigeria’s national teams.
A source told Vanguard on Monday that the DSS had turned its attention to NFF officials, seeking documentation on how the funds were utilised.
“It’s a normal thing for DSS to go through all documents relating to the funds released to them,” the source said, dismissing suggestions that the exercise amounted to a witch-hunt.
Years of Decline
The probe comes against a backdrop of sustained public concern over the administration of Nigerian football, with both the Super Eagles and Super Falcons suffering what has been described as systemic decline. The Super Eagles have missed consecutive FIFA World Cups, while the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil marks the first time the team has missed the tournament since it began in 1991.
The Super Falcons’ campaign ended with a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, a defeat that ended their title defence and cost them automatic qualification. Nigeria now faces a playoff route involving South Africa.
Board Under Pressure to Quit
The NFF executive committee, led by Gusau, had come under sustained pressure to step down following the string of setbacks, compounded by the earlier resignation of more than half of the board’s members. Eight of the federation’s 13 board members are reported to have already quit their positions before the latest resignations.
The developments raise questions over whether the NFF board elections, scheduled for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, will proceed as planned.
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