The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed its former Deputy General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, to oversee the federation’s secretariat following the resignation of President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the Executive Committee.
The National Sports Commission endorsed Ikpeme for the interim role as part of measures aimed at stabilising Nigerian football while a broader reform of the federation’s administration is carried out.
The NFF, in a statement on Friday, said its Director of Media and Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, would also serve as interim Deputy General Secretary.
The latest development comes with the suspension of the NFF electoral process, which had been scheduled to culminate in an Elective Congress on September 27.
According to the federation, the election process will remain suspended until comprehensive reforms are completed.
A fresh electoral process is expected to be initiated after consultations involving the Federal Government, FIFA, CAF and other football stakeholders.
The restructuring will also affect the country’s domestic leagues.
The NFF has directed the chairmen, appointed directors and chief executive officers of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and Nationwide League One to hand over the administration of their respective competitions to their Chief Operating Officers.
Where a league’s COO is not an NFF staff member, the acting General Secretary is expected to appoint a replacement from within the federation.
The NFF said the interim arrangements were necessary to ensure continuity in football administration while discussions on the proposed reforms continue.
The shake-up followed the resignation of Gusau and Sanusi, alongside members of the NFF Executive Committee, amid mounting concerns over the state of Nigerian football.
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Gusau, who became NFF president in September 2022, said his resignation was taken in the overriding interest of Nigerian football and was intended to create room for a comprehensive reform of the system.
The leadership crisis has 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 also suffered a historic setback after failing to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Falcons were subsequently eliminated by Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations before losing 2-1 to South Africa in the World Cup play-off.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive restructuring of Nigerian football, with emphasis on governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability.
The President also directed the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF secretariat and football stakeholders while engaging FIFA and CAF as part of the reform process.
With Ikpeme now overseeing the federation’s secretariat, attention is expected to shift towards implementing the reform roadmap and preparing the ground for a new electoral process.
The NFF said further directives would be communicated as the transition progresses.
The source confirms the interim appointments, election suspension, domestic league changes and wider reform programme.