The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has resigned from office, bringing his four-year tenure to an end amid mounting pressure over the state of Nigerian football.
Mr Gusau announced his decision at a world press conference at the NFF headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, August 27, following weeks of reports that he and several members of the federation’s Executive Committee had been pressured to step down.
He said his decision followed extensive pressure from football stakeholders, as well as consultations with his family, friends and other stakeholders.
“Because of that, there was so much clamour from here and there, from all stakeholders, everybody,” Mr Gusau said.
“And we knew it was important to see that at least nobody is better than us. And we all love our country, and we all love the progress of our country.”
Mr Gusau said the circumstances surrounding the crisis forced him and those close to him to reflect on the situation before he ultimately decided to resign.
“We made a lot of presentations with family, friends, stakeholders, and all,” he said. “And I just want to tell you, I decided to resign my position as President,” he added.
He said he subsequently informed and advised members of his board about his decision.
“I then advised my board members, I informed them, and I advised them,” he said.
However, Mr Gusau said he could not provide details about the individual positions of members of the Executive Committee or the current state of communication within the federation.
He indicated that communication between him and some of the federation’s structures had broken down.
“I’m not communicating with the board; they are not communicating to me. I’m not communicating to the other assembly,” he said.
Mr Gusau’s resignation comes after a turbulent period for Nigerian football, with the NFF facing intense scrutiny over the performance of the country’s senior national teams.
The pressure intensified following the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup — the first time Nigeria will miss the tournament since its inception in 1991.
The Falcons entered the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) as defending champions but suffered a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon. The result ended their title defence and meant they could no longer secure automatic qualification for the World Cup through the tournament.
Nigeria subsequently lost 2-1 to South Africa in the qualification play-off, effectively ending the country’s hopes of participating in the 2027 World Cup.
The NFF apologised to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians following the setback and established a fact-finding committee to investigate the reasons behind the national team’s poor performance.
The resignation also comes against the backdrop of the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, meaning Nigeria missed the global tournament for a second consecutive edition.
Together, the setbacks have intensified calls for accountability and reform within the administration of Nigerian football, placing the NFF leadership under sustained pressure before Mr Gusau announced his resignation.
