Former presidents and general secretaries of the Nigeria Football Association and Nigeria Football Federation have urged FIFA and CAF to establish a six-month Normalisation Committee to overhaul the administration of Nigerian football.
The proposal was presented ahead of a meeting with the FIFA and CAF Governance Assessment Mission in Abuja and was endorsed by former NFF presidents Sani Lulu Abdullahi and Aminu Maigari, former first vice president Obinna Ogba and former general secretaries Fanny Amun, Sani Toro, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Musa Amadu.
The former administrators said the crisis in Nigerian football was rooted in structural and administrative weaknesses rather than individual leadership failures.
Their proposed reform programme would begin with consultations among stakeholders, followed by elections at local football council and State FA levels, an expanded NFF Congress and fresh national federation elections.
They also called for a review of the NFF Congress voting structure, arguing that State FAs currently hold about 84 per cent of the voting strength.
The group wants greater representation for professional leagues, players, coaches, referees and grassroots football organisations, while also seeking broader eligibility for candidates contesting national football positions.
Other proposals include separating legal and administrative functions within State FAs, establishing independent oversight committees and creating professional secretariats operating separately from executive structures.
The former officials also urged consideration of recommendations from the NFF Reform Committee Final Report and the Nigeria Football 10-Year Development Masterplan covering 2022 to 2032.
They argued that changing individuals without fixing the system would not deliver a lasting solution and urged FIFA and CAF to use the ongoing assessment to establish a transparent governance framework for Nigerian football.
