Ever since an administrative vacuum emerged in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following the resignation of the federation’s President, General Secretary and some members of its Executive Committee, the question of who should take charge of Nigerian football has remained a subject of debate among stakeholders.
FIFA has been involved in discussions with Nigerian football authorities on the way forward, with attention increasingly focused on reforms before a fresh electoral process.
While some stakeholders initially advocated a caretaker committee, others favoured the establishment of a Normalization Committee. Recent discussions have increasingly centred on the latter option.
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In my previous write-up, I also supported the establishment of a Normalization Committee rather than a caretaker committee.
My reason was simple. I believe such a committee would have the opportunity to address problems that have affected the administration of Nigerian football from the grassroots to the national level.
Over the years, concerns have been raised about governance, accountability, elections and the effectiveness of football structures at different levels. These issues have contributed to the demand for meaningful reforms.
Now that the formation of a Normalization Committee appears to have gained wider support among stakeholders, the next important question is: who should serve on the committee?
The choice of members cannot be treated as a routine appointment.
Those selected will be entrusted with the responsibility of stabilising the administration, restoring confidence among stakeholders and preparing the ground for a credible electoral process.
For that reason, the records of prospective members must be carefully examined. Their previous roles in football administration, conduct in office, experience, independence and ability to work without favour or personal interest should all be considered.
The committee should not become another platform for recycling individuals who have been associated with the problems that contributed to the present crisis.
Rather, it should bring together people whose experience, credibility and record of service can give the football community confidence in the process.
The immediate task is not simply to fill positions. It is to select people who can carry out the assignment fairly, transparently and within a clearly defined mandate.
This is why stakeholders should pay as much attention to who will constitute the Normalization Committee as they have paid to the demand for the committee itself.
There is no doubt that the task before the Normalization Committee will be enormous. It will therefore require people with proven experience, integrity and a strong understanding of football administration.
It is also important to recognise that Nigeria’s football achievements over the years have been collective efforts involving administrators, technical officials, coaches, players, government and other stakeholders.
Among the experienced administrators whose records deserve consideration is Dr Tijani Ahmed Yusuf.
Dr Yusuf served as Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association in more than one period, including 1992–1993 and 1999–2001. Contemporary records also identify him as the chief executive responsible for the day-to-day running of the NFA during his later tenure.
His experience therefore represents an important part of the institutional history of Nigerian football.
Another name that cannot easily be ignored is Alhaji Sani Ahmed Toro. Toro served as Secretary-General of the then Nigeria Football Association from 1993 to 1999. That period is widely associated with one of the most successful eras in Nigerian football.
During his tenure, Nigeria won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time and reached the Round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup.
Nigeria also reached the Round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup and won the historic Olympic football gold medal at Atlanta 1996.
At youth level, Nigeria also won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1993.
These achievements are commonly associated with what is remembered as a golden era of Nigerian football. However, they should properly be regarded as collective achievements involving the NFA leadership, coaches, technical personnel, players and government support, rather than the achievement of the Secretary-General alone.
Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba is another experienced administrator whose record deserves consideration. Ojo-Oba served as Secretary-General of the NFA from 2007 to 2010.
Before and after that role, he held several responsibilities within sports administration, including Head of International Competitions and Head of Competitions at the NFA, Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture in Oyo State, and later Director of Federations and Elite Athletes at the National Sports Commission.
His long involvement in competitions and sports administration gave him considerable institutional experience which must not be ignored.
Another former NFF General Secretary who should not be overlooked is Barrister Musa Amadu.
Amadu was appointed NFF General Secretary in July 2010 and resigned in March 2015 after more than four years in the position.
His tenure coincided with several notable achievements by Nigeria’s national teams, including the Super Eagles’ 2013 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
However, his period in office also included administrative and governance challenges. These experiences are part of the broader history that should be considered when evaluating potential members of any reform committee.
Therefore, experienced personalities such as these, alongside other credible and independent stakeholders, could provide the institutional knowledge required for such a difficult assignment.
The emphasis, however, should not be on names alone. It should be on experience, integrity, independence, competence and a demonstrated understanding of Nigerian football administration.
The committee needs people who can command the confidence of different stakeholders and carry out the assignment without being seen as representing a particular faction or interest.
Its members must also be prepared to take difficult decisions fairly and transparently while keeping the primary objective of restoring stability and confidence in Nigerian football firmly in view.
As I observed in my previous article, the committee should not limit its work to the federation alone.
Its searchlight must extend to the State Football Associations and Area Football Associations across the country.
This is necessary because there are serious concerns about the effectiveness of some of these structures, particularly at the grassroots level.
In some cases, Area Football Associations have become largely inactive and, according to concerns raised by stakeholders, are activated mainly and only during elections.
There are also concerns that some of these structures have been influenced or controlled by State FA leadership and used as voting blocs. These concerns deserve proper examination rather than assumptions.
The Normalization Committee should therefore review the structures and operations of State Football Associations and Area Football Associations, identify weaknesses and recommend measures to restore them to their proper roles.
A credible reform process cannot stop at the national level. If the foundation at the state and grassroots levels remains weak, changes at the federation level may not produce lasting results.
The reform should therefore move from the grassroots upwards. Local football associations, State FAs and the NFF should have functioning, transparent and accountable structures capable of representing football stakeholders rather than serving primarily electoral purposes.
The Normalization Committee must therefore be given a clear mandate, sufficient independence and a defined timetable.
Its task should be to address the structural problems within Nigerian football, rebuild confidence among stakeholders and create the conditions for a credible and transparent electoral process.
If that is achieved, the committee would have laid the foundation for a stronger football administration at the national, state and grassroots levels.
As its name suggests, a Normalisation Committee should do more than simply fill the leadership vacuum in the Nigeria Football Federation. Its primary responsibility should be to normalise the federation by identifying and correcting the anomalies that have accumulated over the years and contributed to the stagnation of Nigerian football.
The committee should therefore see its mandate as an opportunity to correct the system, not merely to keep it running until a new leadership emerges. If the underlying problems are left untouched, changing the names at the top may do little to address the challenges that have held Nigerian football back.
