Stakeholders and football fans throughout Nigeria are expressing strong opposition to any efforts to extend or renew the contract of Mohammed Sanusi, the long-serving General Secretary of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). They argue that such a move would violate federation statutes.
Over the weekend, the Movement for the Advancement of Nigerian Football (MANF) raised this concern. Olayiwola Akande, the National Convener of MANF, stated, “We are sounding the alarm to save Nigerian football from its current downward slide. Sanusi has been at the helm as NFF General Secretary for 11 years, contributing to this decline. If his tenure is illegally extended by a small group within the NFF, that decline will continue.”
MANF is appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step in and safeguard the future of Nigerian football. Akande pointed out that Sanusi has been a contracted employee since 2007. Despite the presence of more qualified civil servants for the position, he has had his contract renewed four times, which goes against Federal Government Establishment Regulations.
Furthermore, MANF is urging that the search for a new General Secretary should commence without delay. “The NFF and Nigerian football need fresh talent and new, progressive ideas to recover from years of poor administration and performance,” Akande asserted.
He also emphasized the need for transparency in this process, reminding that it should align with the Nigerian Constitution’s principle of federal character, especially since the current NFF president hails from Zamfara State in the North West.
MANF argues that the NFF Congress, as a geopolitical entity, lacks both the legal and moral authority to interfere in the selection of a professional General Secretary. According to NFF statutes, the General Secretary must have a professional background in Physical and Health Education or Sports Management.
For the first time, Nigeria has failed to qualify for major global sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup under the current Secretary General. All age-grade teams are also floundering due to “incompetence and mismanagement.” “Unless this situation is urgently addressed, Nigerian football will never regain its rightful place on the world stage,” stakeholders concluded. “We appreciate the service of the NFF General Secretary, but it is time for him to step aside.”