The world football governing body, FIFA, has endorsed plans to reform Nigeria’s football administration following the resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board and its general secretary.
National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko disclosed this after meeting FIFA and Confederation of African Football officials in Zurich, Switzerland.
The meeting followed the mass resignation of the NFF leadership amid calls for major changes in the federation.
Dikko said the government presented a plan for comprehensive reforms and that FIFA agreed the changes were necessary but must follow the federation’s rules.
“In short, FIFA endorsed the resignation, endorsed reform, agreed that the reform must happen, but it has to go through the proper process and the rulebooks, and they are ready to accommodate that,” Dikko said.
He said FIFA would appoint an independent normalisation committee to oversee the transition and determine its mandate and duration.
“That committee is not appointed by the Nigerian government alone,” Dikko said.
“It’s FIFA that looks at what is on ground, and they appoint the committee with clear timelines, clear terms of reference and everything, and what they should deliver.”
Dikko said the committee could remain in place for six months to one year, depending on the reforms agreed with stakeholders.
He added that its members must be independent and must not have an interest in contesting future NFF elections.
“The committee will be independent,” Dikko said.
“That’s why it doesn’t have to be anybody who is involved within the system, or who has an interest in contesting the election.”
The proposed reforms include changes to the NFF electoral code and election process to make future polls more transparent.
FIFA is expected to visit Nigeria as consultations with football stakeholders continue.
The NFF also said FIFA had accepted the resignations and agreed to continue discussions on a roadmap for short-, medium- and long-term reforms.
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