The National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF) has directed its state chapters, zonal officers and registered members to disregard a circular issued by the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) calling for what it described as “all-inclusive emergency meetings” involving former player-union blocs.
In a statement dated Saturday, October 3, 2026, NANPF said the PFAN circular, signed by its General Secretary, Edema Fuludu, and dated October 2, 2026, does not represent any agreement reached with NANPF on reconciliation, merger or structural integration.
NANPF said its attention was drawn to the circular after it began circulating on social media, with PFAN directing its zonal coordinators and state chairmen to convene meetings involving various former blocs, including NANPF, under what it described as a unified structure.
The players’ union maintained that it remains a separate and independently registered trade union, insisting that it has not entered into any merger agreement with PFAN or any other organisation.
“NANPF remains a distinct, independent, and legally registered trade union,” the statement said, stressing that no agreement had been reached for the dissolution, integration or subsumption of its structures into PFAN.
The union also challenged any suggestion that NANPF should be regarded as a former bloc or subsidiary structure within PFAN, describing such a representation as inaccurate.
NANPF Cites Trade Union Status
NANPF further argued that its statutory status cannot be altered by administrative circulars or directives issued by sports authorities or football governing bodies.
According to the union, it is registered by the Registrar of Trade Unions under the Trade Unions Act with Certificate No. 0122 and represents professional and semi-professional footballers across the NPFL, NNL, NWFL and NLO.
It maintained that administrative pronouncements under sports-related legislation or directives from football authorities cannot, in its view, extinguish the legal status of a registered trade union established under federal law.
Members Told to Ignore PFAN Meetings
Against this backdrop, NANPF directed all its state executive committees, zonal officers and registered players across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to disregard the PFAN circular.
The union specifically advised its members not to attend meetings convened on the basis that NANPF structures would be represented, absorbed or subsumed into PFAN.
NANPF, however, said its position should not be interpreted as a rejection of unity within Nigerian football.
The union reaffirmed its commitment to player welfare, professional rights and solidarity, but insisted that any reconciliation process must respect its identity, statutory status and organisational mandate.
It also urged football authorities, domestic league organisers, player representatives and other stakeholders to treat any communication purporting to incorporate NANPF into PFAN without the union’s authorisation as having no effect on NANPF’s structures or membership.
The statement was signed by the NANPF Media and Communications Directorate.
