NFF Committed to Full Development of Eagles, Falcons, Others – Gusau

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau on Tuesday disclosed that the football-governing body is working assiduously to ensure that all the National Teams perform much better in their competitions in the next one year than they have done in the past year. He made this pledge while reviewing the activities of the NFF and the teams in one year of his Board in office, and also articulating expectations for the next one year.

While highlighting the achievements of the past year, which included a first-ever podium finish at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, quarter-final performance of the Flying Eagles at the FIFA U20 World Cup, qualification of the Super Eagles to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and best-ever outing by the Super Falcons at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Gusau asseverated that the Board and Secretariat have worked in tandem to remove toxicity from the system and enable a more conducive environment for the game in the country.

“One of our priorities on coming into office was to ensure that the football environment was cleansed of so much toxicity that had threatened the health of the game and made some persons feel unwelcome in the system. We have tried our best to give everyone a sense of belonging with a policy of inclusiveness.

“Off the pitch, we are proud of the work of the Interim Management Committee that we constituted to organize the last NPFL League Season, which was commended by all stakeholders, and we also feel fulfilled about the constitution of the Boards of the NNL, NWFL and NLO with vibrant, knowledgeable and competent individuals who are capable of taking the leagues to the next level. Elections into the State FAs have also been largely peaceful and successful.”

Gusau said his board will work assiduously and diligently with the secretariat and the Federal Ministry of Sports Development to see the Super Eagles off to a great start in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series and to win the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire early next year.

“We also want to see the Super Falcons reclaim their African title and return to the Women Olympic Football Tournament. Our expectations include making good progress in our plan for hostel accommodation and some playing pitches for the National Teams, through the FIFA Forward 3.0 program, and also see that the U17 and U20 Women National Teams achieve their best-ever outings at their different World Cups next year.

“We are working already with the new NPFL Board to grow the NPFL into the product that all administrators and stakeholders desire, and also with the boards of the other Leagues to improve the state of our domestic football. To achieve all these, we need money, so we are also looking to work even harder to grow our revenue base through aggressive marketing drive.”

The NFF boss said his team will also not allow any FIFA window for friendly matches to go unutilized. “As you can see, we have arranged two matches for the Super Eagles in this month’s window, against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique. Mozambique is in southern Africa where three of our opponents in the World Cup qualifiers, namely Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa also are. Playing Mozambique is a good opportunity for the team to have a sneak preview of what to expect against these three teams.”

Also, at the parley were NFF Executive Committee Members H. E. Ali Silas Agara and Mr. George Aluo; NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; Chairman of Anambra State FA, Chikelue Iloenyosi; NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire; Director of Competitions, Ruth David and; Head of Member Associations, Ali Abubakar Muhammad.

In a related development, Dr. Ayo Hameed Abdulrahaman has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Nigeria National League (NNL), taking over from Mr. Emmanuel Adesanya, who retired from the Federal Civil Service due to reaching the age of 60 years. Dr. Abdulrahaman has a doctorate degree in physical and health education and has a significant background in football organization and administration.

Before this new role, Dr. Abdulrahaman served as a deputy director in the Federal Civil Service and also worked in the NFF (Nigeria Football Federation) Competitions Department. Furthermore, he has previous experience as a chief operating officer, including roles in both the NNL and the Nigeria Women Football League.

This appointment signifies a change in leadership within the Nigeria National League and brings Dr. Abdulrahaman’s expertise in football administration to the organization.