Nigeria’s football federation chief resigns amid corruption allegations

What the report says

Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau has resigned, according to an Al Jazeera report citing his remarks at a news conference in Abuja and local media coverage. The announcement came amid corruption allegations, reported scrutiny of the federation’s finances, and a run of poor results by Nigeria’s national teams. Several other board members also stepped down, the report said, and the federation is due to hold its next general election about a month later.

Local media said the federation is being investigated by Nigeria’s Department of State Services over the alleged misuse of 17 billion naira, or about $12.7 million, that the government provided in 2024 to cover overdue payments to players and officials. Gusau said he had chosen to resign and had urged other board members to do the same. He also defended his record and pointed to economic pressures and exchange-rate volatility as factors affecting the federation’s finances.

The report said President Bola Tinubu’s office responded by calling for comprehensive reform of football administration. In a statement, Tinubu said the changes should strengthen governance, representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability. The context is a broader pattern of complaints about unpaid allowances, management problems and underperformance in Nigerian football. Nigeria’s women’s team, the Super Falcons, missed out on the 2027 Women’s World Cup, while the men’s Super Eagles have also failed to qualify for the last two World Cup tournaments.