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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Reform Our Football, has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urging the first family to reform the Nigerian football.
The group, in a letter addressed to the president, said it was with tired and overwhelmed hearts which has been stretched to the limits that it called on the President as the Father of the Nation who listens, to help reform the nation’s football. The Reform Our Football also said the only game that unites 250 million Nigerians has gradually collapsed and Nigerians are all just watching helplessly.
“We football lovers and supporters are at the tipping point. We are at the end of our tethers as it is now obvious things have fallen apart with our football. “Dreams shattered a second time for The Super Eagles, who have now missed out of two World Cups, back-to-back because The NFF have run our football into a comatose.
“The NFF statues, electoral code, standing orders, in fact, the entire system is set up to throw up the highest bidder who is most of the time the least qualified.
“53 people cannot decide the fate of 250 milion Nigerians! We need a more robust process that will throw up only the best to manage our football,” the Reform Our Football said.
The group further passed a vote of no confidence on the Nigerian Sports Commission Chairman, Shehu Dikko, saying that Dikko cannot bring progress to the nation’s sports.
In its five-point agenda, the group called for a revision of the current electoral structure to make it more inclusive, bringing all stakeholders to have a say.
It also called for a clear-cut plan for the success of the Super Falcons who are constantly being treated as second class citizens.
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While further calling for a well-structured development plan for age-grade teams across men’s and women’s football, the Reform Our Football called for transparency in the recruitment and appointment process of national team coaches, including accountability from sport administrators.
“We, the tired and helpless football supporters are now respectfully calling on you to please help salvage the situation,” the group told the president.
Addressing the First Lady, the Reform Our Football said the Super Falcons, the pride, the true heartbeat of Africa, are being treated as second-class citizens.
“The conditions these remarkable women are made to endure reflect a troubling pattern of neglect and systemic injustice. Many of them feel unable to speak out, for fear of being side-lined or blacklisted—an unfortunate reality that has come to define the operations of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
“Since their historic triumph—winning the WAFCON for a record tenth time—the team has not been afforded the opportunity to build on that success through meaningful friendly matches. This lack of preparation risks setting them up for failure at the next WAFCON, where qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be at stake.
“International windows, which should serve as critical periods for preparation, have been repeatedly squandered,” the group said.
Earlier at a press conference in Abuja, the Reform Our Football said the body is a coalition of patriotic and well-meaning football fans who have no political affiliations, non-partisan, no strings or connection with government, but simply Nigerians who believed football is a beloved sport that unites the country and has brought Nigeria immeasurable glory.
The Secretary-General of the Reform Our Football, Kemi Yesufu, said as patriotic citizens who appreciate what football has done for the country, they came together with the sole aim of demanding and pushing for far-reaching reform to put Nigerian football on the path to success.
