Nigeria Football Congress Demands NFF, CAF, FIFA Compliant Reforms, Rejects Illegality
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Congress has thrown its weight behind comprehensive reforms of Nigerian football but insists that the process must be lawful, properly sequenced and consistent with the statutes of the NFF, CAF and FIFA.
The position is contained in a document titled “Nigeria Football Reform Proposal”, which outlines Congress’ response to the proposed Nigeria Football Reform Framework 2026.
Rather than opposing the reform agenda, Congress said its concern is with the legality, legitimacy, sequencing, institutional competence and sustainability of the process.
According to the proposal, the resignation of the NFF Executive Committee and General Secretary does not automatically dissolve the NFF or remove the constitutional authority of Congress.
Congress therefore maintains that the institutional vacancy should be addressed through the existing provisions of the NFF Statutes, while ensuring that the reform process remains within the established football governance framework.
Congress wants football-led reform
The proposal calls for a reform process driven through the NFF Congress, with FIFA and CAF providing technical review, recognition, support and oversight, rather than replacing the authority of the federation’s statutory organs.
Congress also proposes that constitutional, electoral and governance reforms should be properly considered before elections are conducted.
The reform agenda covers eight key areas:
NFF statutes, Congress and corporate governance;
League reform, commercialisation and football development;
Sports funding, infrastructure and legislative alignment;
Elections, handover and completion of unfinished reforms;
Implementation, monitoring and reporting;
Reform objectives and guiding principles;
The scope and application of the reform framework; and
Final reform commitments.
6–24-month reform roadmap
Congress has proposed a phased six-to-24-month implementation roadmap.
The proposed process begins with institutional stabilisation and diagnostic consultations before moving to constitutional reform, electoral preparation, elections and handover, structural implementation, commercialisation and final institutional evaluation.
The roadmap contains eight phases and five decision gates, with progress to the next stage dependent on the completion of specified legal, institutional and electoral requirements.
Congress also recommends parallel workstreams covering legislative reform, public infrastructure and funding, league commercialisation, media and broadcast development, club development, and youth and women’s football.
Congress warns against interference
A major safeguard in the proposal is the insistence that no institution should use the reform process to assume powers reserved for the NFF’s statutory and electoral structures.
Congress specifically opposes any arrangement that could allow a government or joint coordination mechanism to appoint or remove football officials, alter NFF statutes, conduct elections or exercise judicial and disciplinary powers outside the recognised football governance framework.
The proposal states that reform should not become a vehicle for bypassing the constitutional authority of Congress.
Governance and financial reforms
Congress also supports a comprehensive review of the NFF Statutes, Electoral Code and governance structures, including improved stakeholder representation.
The proposal notes that Congress’ voting structure has been expanded, with representation from State Football Associations, NPFL clubs, NNL clubs and NWFL clubs, taking the number of voting mandates from 44 to 73.
On football development, Congress supports increased investment in infrastructure, stronger government support, professional league management, commercialisation and improved player welfare.
It also references the $7.5 million direct foreign investment associated with NPFL commercial collaboration, while stressing that major financial proposals should be subjected to independent financial and commercial feasibility assessments before adoption.
Reform, but within the rules
The overall position of Congress is that Nigerian football needs meaningful and sustainable reform, but the process must not undermine the legal structures designed to govern the game.
Its central message is captured in the proposal’s concluding statement:
“We support reform; our concern is legality, legitimacy, sequencing, institutional competence and sustainability.”
The NFF Congress is therefore calling for a football-led, legally grounded and properly sequenced reform process, with FIFA and CAF providing technical support and oversight while the constitutional authority of the NFF Congress remains protected.
