FIFA has formally accepted the resignations of former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Ibrahim Gusau, general secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the federation’s Executive Committee, National Sports Commission (NSC) director general Bukola Olopade has confirmed.
The departures came last week as Nigerian football stakeholders continued discussions over reforms aimed at reshaping the administration and improving the country’s performance on the global stage.
Olopade and NSC chairman Shehu Dikko led Nigeria’s delegation at a meeting with senior FIFA officials in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday. The talks focused on the implications of the mass resignations and the next steps towards agreeing a framework for reform.
Former NFF president and ex-FIFA Council member Amaju Pinnick also attended the meeting. He was present in his role as special adviser to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president and deputy chairman of the FIFA Men’s National Teams Competitions Committee.
The Nigerian delegation also included NFF acting general secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme and Okey Obi, the federation’s director of legal services.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, CAF second vice-president Kurt Okraku and FIFA director of member associations for Africa Gelson Fernandes were among the senior football officials involved in the discussions.
Olopade said the meeting had been productive, while emphasising that further engagement between the relevant organisations would be required before the proposed changes could be finalised.
“We had a very good engagement with FIFA in Zurich concerning the current state of Nigerian football following recent mass resignations of members of the NFF Board,” Olopade wrote on X.
“FIFA has now accepted the resignations of the former NFF executives and have pledged to continue engagements with the Sports Commission to ensure Nigeria achieves President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope reforms to reset the country’s football for better global performance
“Nigeria football is rising again.”
The statement indicates that talks involving FIFA, the NSC, CAF and the NFF administration are expected to continue. The parties will work towards establishing a comprehensive reform framework for Nigerian football.
Gusau, Sanusi and the other departing Executive Committee members resigned amid pressure for change within the governance of the sport in Nigeria. FIFA’s acceptance of those resignations is expected to allow the reform discussions to move forward with the involvement of the international and continental governing bodies.
The Zurich meeting brought together current and former Nigerian football officials alongside the leadership of FIFA and CAF, reflecting the significance of the developments within the NFF.
Olopade said the Sports Commission would remain engaged with FIFA as stakeholders seek an acceptable structure for implementing the reforms proposed by the Nigerian authorities.