The National Sports Commission (NSC) has endorsed Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, the former Deputy General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as interim General Secretary following the resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s Executive Committee.
The development is part of sweeping interim measures announced by the NFF on Thursday as the Federal Government moves to overhaul the administration of Nigerian football.
In a statement published on its official website, the NFF said the NSC had endorsed Ikpeme to oversee the federation’s secretariat during the transition.
“Following Thursday’s resignations of Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau as President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi as General Secretary, and members of the Executive Committee, the National Sports Commission has endorsed Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, until now Deputy General Secretary, to oversee the NFF Secretariat as interim General Secretary,” the federation said.
The NFF also appointed its Director of Media and Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, as interim Deputy General Secretary.
The shake-up has also brought the NFF’s electoral process to an immediate halt, with the federation suspending preparations for the elective congress scheduled for September 27.
“All processes initiated in preparation for the NFF Elective Congress scheduled for 27 September have also been suspended,” the NFF said.
The federation said the suspension would not be permanent, adding that a fresh electoral process would begin after the completion of the proposed reforms.
“A fresh electoral process will commence following the completion of the anticipated comprehensive reforms, to be undertaken in consultation with world football’s governing body, FIFA, and CAF,” it said.
The interim changes extend beyond the NFF secretariat to the country’s major domestic leagues.
The federation directed the chairmen, appointed directors and chief executive officers of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women Football League and Nationwide League One to hand over the administration of their respective competitions to their chief operating officers, who are NFF staff members.
The NFF said that where a league’s chief operating officer is not an NFF staff member, the interim General Secretary would appoint a replacement from within the federation.
It said the measures were intended to ensure continuity in the administration of Nigerian football while the wider reform process gets underway.
“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 federation said.
The leadership changes came a day after Gusau and Sanusi resigned, alongside members of the NFF Executive Committee, amid mounting criticism of the state of Nigerian football.
In a separate statement announcing the resignations, the NFF said the decision followed “a groundswell of national disenchantment over recent dismal performances of the National Teams”.
Gusau, who was elected NFF president at the federation’s Annual General Assembly in Benin City, Edo State, on September 30, 2022, resigned with 34 days remaining in his four-year tenure.
The former NFF president said he stepped down after consultations with his family, friends and stakeholders in the football community and in the “overriding interest of Nigerian football”.
He said his resignation was intended “to give way to a comprehensive and orderly reform process aimed at addressing the longstanding institutional, governance and developmental challenges confronting Nigerian football”.
The leadership crisis followed a difficult period for the country’s national teams.
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the Super Falcons recently suffered the historic setback of failing to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Falcons had earlier been eliminated by Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Their subsequent 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup play-off ended Nigeria’s record of qualifying for every edition of the women’s World Cup.
The NFF has also faced scrutiny over its handling of a Federal Government intervention fund released in 2024, while a fact-finding committee report reportedly raised concerns over the influence of board members and officials in the selection of national team players.
Against this backdrop, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football.
In a statement published by the NFF, Tinubu said the reform must address “a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football”.
The President also said football, despite being Nigeria’s most popular sport and a major beneficiary of public support and investment, had continued to struggle because of “structural deficits within the system”.
Tinubu directed NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to maintain essential football administration while facilitating a broad reform process, including engagement with FIFA and CAF.
The decision to suspend the NFF election also follows weeks of controversy surrounding the proposed elective congress.
Stakeholders had questioned the credibility of the electoral process and called for reforms before the election.
Former Nigeria Premier Football League chairman Rumson Baribote had criticised the voting structure, arguing that it gave excessive influence to state football associations.
Former international Harrison Jalla also said the election process was already the subject of litigation, while reports indicated that the NSC was seeking presidential approval to halt the election and establish a normalisation committee.
The election had initially been scheduled for September 26 before being moved to September 27 to accommodate the Super Eagles’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Madagascar.
With Ikpeme now in charge of the NFF Secretariat, the immediate focus will be on maintaining the day-to-day administration of the federation while the government and football stakeholders work on the broader reform programme.
Several names had emerged in discussions over potential future leadership of Nigerian football, including former Super Eagles captain Segun Odegbami, Remo Stars owner Kunle Soname, former NFF president Amaju Pinnick, former Chelsea technical director Mike Emenalo, former Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana and former international Chikelue Iloenyosi.
However, those discussions are now secondary to the immediate task of implementing the reform programme and establishing a new framework for the administration of Nigerian football.
The NFF said the interim arrangements would remain in place pending the conclusion of consultations involving FIFA, CAF, the Federal Government and other stakeholders.
“For now, further changes and directives will be communicated in due course,” the federation said.
