Tinubu Orders Overhaul of Nigerian Football to Fix Structural Decay

​President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate and comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s football administration, aiming to reverse a distressing era of repeated tournament qualification failures that have left millions of supporters disillusioned.

​In a State House directive issued through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President noted that while other sporting disciplines have steadily rebounded under the newly restructured National Sports Commission (NSC), the country’s most beloved sport continues to punch well below its weight.

​Attributing the persistent slump to deep-seated structural deficits rather than a scarcity of raw talent, Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria’s global reputation as a football powerhouse must be backed by robust institutional frameworks, fiscal transparency, and systemic accountability.

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​The presidential mandate instructs the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to collaborate closely with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretariat and key industry stakeholders. This coalition is tasked with driving an inclusive, consultative transition that guarantees administrative continuity while rebuilding the sport’s domestic pathways, governance models, and youth development framework.

​To ensure global compliance, the sweeping reform will feature active consultations with international football governing bodies, including FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while strictly protecting the nation’s standing within the global sports architecture.

​The presidency has consequently urged all football administrators, domestic players, and passionate fans to throw their weight behind the transition, framing the collective effort as a vital national mission to restore glory, credibility, and sustainable success to Nigerian football.