…Resignations leave NFF with leadership vacuum as security agencies probe N17bn fund and alleged foreign contacts ahead of planned September election in Lafia
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Ibrahim Gusau and eight members of the federation’s executive committee have resigned amid mounting criticism of the management of Nigeria’s national teams and intensifying scrutiny by security agencies.
Gusau, who has headed the NFF since September 2022, is reported to have stepped down alongside other board members after weeks of increasing pressure on the leadership. With the development, eight of the 13 members of the NFF board are now said to have quit, leaving the federation with a major leadership vacuum at a critical time.
The mass resignations have also cast doubt on the federation’s planned elective congress scheduled for 27 September in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where a new board was due to be elected. An insider linked the exits to concerns surrounding ongoing investigations by security agencies, saying the fear of probe by the Department of State Services, DSS, and the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, was fuelling uncertainty over whether the election could hold as planned.
The crisis comes as the DSS intensifies its examination of a N17 billion intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu in 2024 to settle outstanding wages, bonuses and other payments owed to members of Nigeria’s national teams. A source familiar with the investigation said the DSS had requested documents relating to the funds released to the NFF, but dismissed suggestions that the exercise was intended to witch-hunt officials. “It’s a normal thing for DSS to go through all documents relating to the funds released to them,” the source said.
The financial probe is running alongside a separate intelligence inquiry involving the DSS and NIA. The agencies are reportedly examining allegations concerning contacts between some NFF officials and foreign nationals. A security source described the alleged communications as “highly disturbing” and said the matter had implications beyond the administration of football. According to the source, the N17 billion fund is a separate issue from the intelligence investigation and falls primarily within the remit of financial crime investigators. “It is true that President Bola Tinubu in 2024 approved N17 billion as a special intervention fund to help NFF clear outstanding payments owed to Nigeria’s national teams. However, that falls within the purview of the EFCC, not the DSS and NIA,” the source said, adding that the involvement of both the DSS and NIA indicated that authorities were examining issues considered to have wider national security implications.
The leadership crisis has also followed a major setback for Nigerian football. The Super Falcons failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil after losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, a result that ended their title defence and forced them into the qualification play-off. Nigeria’s run then ended with a 2-1 defeat to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, bringing to a close the country’s unbroken appearance at the women’s World Cup since 1991. The development intensified criticism of the NFF leadership, particularly against the backdrop of the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for consecutive editions of the men’s FIFA World Cup. Stakeholders have increasingly questioned the direction of the federation and its handling of the national teams.
