Nigerian Football Reforms Get FIFA Nod, Normalisation Committee Eyed – Dikko

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has revealed that FIFA has given its approval to Nigeria's proposed extensive reforms for its football administration. This development follows the collective resignation of the entire board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its General Secretary. Dikko shared this information during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, after a crucial meeting with officials from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Switzerland.

According to Dikko, the Nigerian government presented its reform proposals to FIFA due to the leadership void created by the NFF board's mass resignation. He explained, "After the resignation of the entire board of the NFF and the General Secretary, naturally we have a lacuna, because there was no provision in the rulebook for situations like that, where we have nobody now to run the NFF legally within the rulebook."

Dikko elaborated that the government's objective is to implement a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria's football structures, a process that will involve extensive consultations with various stakeholders. He stated, "We told them, this is our position as a government. The government wants to undertake a comprehensive reform of the football structures in Nigeria, which is something that even FIFA knew has been on the cards for decades in Nigeria. So we discussed comprehensive proposals from the government, which are the issues that we think should be reformed, based on the concerns of the stakeholders, and we all agreed on that."

He further affirmed that FIFA has endorsed both the NFF board's resignation and the proposed reforms, emphasizing that the process must adhere to established 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 asserted. This announcement comes after FIFA and CAF concluded their assessment of the NFF crisis in September. The visit by FIFA followed the mass resignations of NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other board members on August 27. These resignations occurred amidst growing scrutiny over the performance of Nigeria's national and youth teams, particularly the failure of both the senior men's and women's teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.

**FIFA May Appoint Normalisation Committee**

Dikko also indicated that FIFA might establish a normalisation committee to oversee the reform process. He clarified that such a committee would be appointed directly by FIFA with clearly defined terms of reference and timelines. The chairman explained, "That committee is not appointed by the Nigerian government alone. No, the committee is normally called a normalisation committee. It’s a FIFA committee. 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."

He projected that the committee could operate for a period ranging from six months to a maximum of one year, depending on the scope of reforms required and the agreement reached with stakeholders. "It can be between maybe six months to a maximum of one year, depending on what reforms need to be done, depending on the final agreement that will be done with the stakeholders," he said. Dikko added that members of this proposed committee are expected to maintain independence from the NFF electoral process. "The committee will be independent. 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," he stated. He further stressed, "In fact, once you participate in that committee, you are barred from contesting the election or being part of the NFF for a certain amount of time, so that you can be neutral and just do the work that is supposed to be done."

The committee, according to Dikko, would report directly to FIFA while consulting with the Nigerian government. "The committee is reporting directly to FIFA, in consultation with the government. And the committee is even being paid by FIFA when they are doing the work. That is how it is done," Dikko confirmed.

**Stakeholder Consultations Underway**

Dikko confirmed that consultations have already commenced with members of the NFF Congress, in anticipation of an upcoming FIFA visit to Nigeria. The NSC chair disclosed, "The first thing is, let’s have some conversation with some of the stakeholders to discuss the blueprint of the comprehensive reform, which we have started even yesterday. I held a meeting with some of the Congress members. We have shared the document with them for them to make an input. And then FIFA will eventually come here to have an on-site visit, where we can eventually invite other stakeholders to come and have a conversation, so that we have perfected the document."

He also noted that the proposed reforms would specifically address the NFF electoral system. "Part of the reforms is also to rebuild the electoral code, to rebuild the electoral system and make it very transparent," Dikko concluded.