Ibrahim Gusau has officially announced his resignation as President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) alongside alongside his Executive Committee and the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, have resigned from their positions from their respective positions with immediate effect.
Speaking during a world press conference at the NFF headquarters in Abuja, the former NFF chief revealed his decision to step aside but admitted that he did not know which specific members of his cabinet had already turned in their individual resignations prior to the announcement.
The abrupt collapse of the Gusau-led administration follows months of escalating administrative crisis, intense public outcry, and mounting scrutiny over the management of Nigerian football. The federation had come under severe pressure due to catastrophic on-field failures across all national team cadres, most notably the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ recent failure to secure a spot at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Beyond the pitch, the resignation comes amid heavy financial scrutiny and integrity investigations surrounding the federation. Security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), recently opened probes into the NFF’s accounting practices, focusing on the handling of multi-billion naira Federal Government intervention funds allocated to clear outstanding payments owed to national team players and officials.
Pressure further intensified following internal leaks of an official NFF fact-finding committee report, which uncovered systemic corruption, including allegations that board members and management staff were taking incentives to compromise national team player selections.
Faced with relentless calls for reform from football stakeholders, government officials, and security inquiries, the Gusau leadership ultimately succumbed to the pressure, bringing a turbulent era in Nigerian football governance to an end.
