Ibrahim Gusau has explained that his decision to resign as President of the Nigeria Football Federation was driven by his love for Nigeria and his desire to contribute to the growth of the country’s football.
Gusau announced his resignation during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, bringing an end to his three-year-and-11-month tenure as head of the federation.
His resignation came amid growing speculation over his continued leadership of the NFF and concerns about Nigeria’s recent performances across various levels of international football.
Gusau said he reached the decision after consulting with his family and friends, adding that he had also encouraged members of the NFF Executive Committee who were willing to do so to step down.
“I have decided to resign my position as the President of NFF, after consultations with my family and friends.
“I have also advised my board members, those who are willing, to resign as well,” he said.
He said he was unable to immediately disclose the number of board members who had resigned, explaining that some of them had not communicated their decisions directly to him.
Nigeria’s football fortunes have come under scrutiny during Gusau’s tenure.
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, while the Super Falcons missed qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The country’s youth teams have also struggled, with the Golden Eaglets failing to qualify for three consecutive editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Despite his exit, Gusau said he would remain available to support Nigerian football, drawing on the experience and relationships he had built within African football.
“For me, I want to make it clear that, by the grace of God, we will continue to give our contribution.
“Our experience, connections and relationships within African football will never go in vain.
“We will do our best to ensure that whenever we are needed, we will contribute to the progress of Nigerian football,” he said.
Gusau also defended the achievements of his administration, pointing to developments in coaching education, domestic league management, refereeing and football infrastructure.
He said the federation organised several coaching programmes, including CAF B Licence, CAF C Licence and Coaching Instructors’ courses, while the CAF A Licence programme is scheduled to begin on September 16.
According to him, his administration also worked to stabilise the domestic leagues, which he described as one of the major challenges inherited by the board.
On refereeing, Gusau said the NFF inherited a difficult situation, particularly because of Nigeria’s limited representation at major continental and global competitions.
He said the federation subsequently introduced young referees into the system and provided opportunities for training and development.
“Today, we are beginning to see the results.
“At the last Under-17 World Cup and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Nigerian referees were among the officials and even handled some of the semi-final matches,” he said.
Gusau expressed confidence that continued investment in the development of young referees would increase Nigeria’s presence at major international competitions.
He also identified poor infrastructure as one of the biggest challenges facing Nigerian football, saying his board used funds from FIFA development programmes to address some of the gaps.
“As a board, we sat down and identified infrastructure as one of our greatest needs.
“We also recognised the need for permanent accommodation and training facilities for our national teams, and we are currently working on that.
“I believe history will judge us on this, and Nigerians will remember that we played our part in addressing the infrastructure challenge,” he said.
Gusau reiterated that he would continue to support efforts to develop Nigerian football whenever his experience and expertise were needed.
