The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has directed the chairmen, appointed directors and chief executive officers of the country’s major domestic leagues to hand over the administration of their respective competitions to their Chief Operating Officers (COOs), Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The directive affects the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) and Nationwide League One (NLO).
Under the interim arrangement, the leagues will be administered by COOs who are members of the NFF staff as the federation seeks to ensure continuity in the running of domestic football.
Where the current COO of any of the affected leagues is not an NFF staff member, the Acting General Secretary has been instructed to deploy a new COO from within the federation.
The move comes as the NFF begins a wider transition process and engages with FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the government and other stakeholders over proposed reforms to the administration and structure of Nigerian football.
The federation said the temporary measures are aimed at preventing disruptions to league activities while discussions on a comprehensive reform roadmap continue.
“These interim measures are intended to ensure continuity in the administration of Nigerian football during the transition and pending conclusion of engagements with FIFA, CAF, Government and stakeholders to design a roadmap towards the comprehensive reforms envisaged for Nigeria football, and the next steps for activation,” the NFF stated.
The federation stressed that the new arrangements are temporary, adding that further decisions will be announced as the reform process progresses.
“Further changes and directives will be communicated in due course,” the NFF added.
The development could signal the beginning of a major restructuring of the administrative framework governing Nigeria’s domestic leagues, with further details expected as consultations between the NFF and relevant stakeholders continue.