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Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Gusau has resigned from his position, alongside other members of the governing body’s board.
Gusau’s resignation was confirmed on Thursday, following reports that he had stepped down as pressure intensified on the NFF board over a series of setbacks involving the country’s football teams and allegations concerning the management of federation funds.
The board came under scrutiny after the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in the competition’s history.
The NFF is also facing scrutiny from the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies over the utilisation of a N17 billion intervention fund released by the Nigerian Government for players’ wages and bonuses.
President Bola Tinubu approved the intervention in 2024 to clear outstanding payments owed to members of Nigeria’s national teams.
Vanguard reported on Monday that the DSS had requested documents from the NFF to establish how the funds were utilised.
“It’s a normal thing for DSS to go through all documents relating to the funds released to them,” an anonymous source was quoted as saying.
The latest departures have further weakened the NFF executive committee, which has faced calls to resign following a series of setbacks.
The Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup followed their elimination from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where they lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-finals.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s title defence and meant the team had to pursue World Cup qualification through the playoff route.
The Falcons subsequently lost 2-1 to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in the World Cup qualification playoff, ending Nigeria’s record of appearing at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991.
The NFF board, led by Gusau, subsequently faced mounting pressure, with reports indicating that more than half of its 13 members had resigned.
Eight of the 13 board members have reportedly stepped down.
The resignations could also create uncertainty around the NFF elections scheduled for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, as the federation deals with the leadership vacuum.
