Follow Us on Google
The crisis shaking Nigerian football has arrived at the doorstep of Nasarawa State at a particularly sensitive moment.
Barely a month before the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is expected to elect a new Executive Committee in Lafia, the federation’s President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, and General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, have reportedly resigned amid mounting pressure over the administration of Nigerian football.
Sanusi confirmed the resignation, telling Daily Sun: “Yes, the news about the resignation of the president and myself is true.” The development followed weeks of mounting pressure on the NFF leadership over the state of Nigerian football, including criticism of the country’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ failure to secure a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
But beyond the leadership upheaval in Abuja, the immediate question for Nasarawa is what happens to the September 27 NFF Elective Congress in Lafia, an event that had positioned the state capital at the centre of Nigerian football politics.
The NFF had originally approved Lafia as the venue for the 2026 elective congress at its Extraordinary General Assembly in Yenagoa in March. The congress was initially scheduled for September 26 before the federation subsequently moved it by 24 hours to September 27 because the Super Eagles’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar was fixed for September 25.
The election is expected to usher in a new Executive Committee for the next four years. The electoral roadmap had already been released, with the final list of cleared candidates scheduled for publication between September 11 and 12, followed by the delegates’ list and a campaign window running from September 14 to 24.
That timetable has now been overtaken by a dramatic change at the top of the federation.
The significance of the resignation cannot be separated from the congress because the same administration that approved and organised the election has now suffered a major leadership collapse.
Reports indicate that several members of the NFF Executive Committee have also resigned or left their positions, further weakening the board ahead of the proposed congress. One report puts the number at eight of the 13 Executive Committee members. However, the full legal and administrative implications of those departures for the congress have yet to be formally clarified by the NFF.
That uncertainty makes Lafia particularly important.
Will the resignation of the NFF president affect the authority under which the electoral process is being conducted?
Will the Federal Government or the National Sports Commission intervene?
And, perhaps most importantly for Nasarawa, will Lafia still host the congress? Those questions are now unavoidable.
The crisis did not emerge overnight. In recent weeks, pressure had intensified on the Gusau-led administration, with former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel publicly calling for changes in the NFF leadership.
“We want changes in the Nigeria Football Federation because we want to grow our football,” Mikel said, arguing that Nigeria could not continue with the same leadership structure after failing to qualify for successive World Cups.
The criticism intensified after the Super Falcons missed out on the 2027 Women’s World Cup, prompting former internationals and football stakeholders to demand a wider overhaul of Nigerian football administration.
For Nasarawa, the NFF crisis arrives at an interesting moment. Lafia has spent the last few years attempting to strengthen its credentials as a football city. The return of Nasarawa United to the NPFL, the continued presence of Nasarawa Amazons among Nigeria’s leading women’s clubs, the recent rehabilitation of sporting facilities and the hosting of football-related events have given the state a stronger profile within Nigerian sports.
Nasarawa United secured promotion back to the NPFL in 2024 after its successful campaign in the Nigeria National League.
The club subsequently played its home fixtures at the Lafia City Stadium during the 2025/26 NPFL season. The NPFL’s official records show Lafia City Stadium hosting a number of Nasarawa United fixtures during the campaign.
The return to the top flight has been one of the notable positives for football in the state.
But the story is not entirely one of success. The 2026 NPFL season ultimately saw Nasarawa United finish outside the continental places, despite making a strong start to the campaign. The league’s official report noted that Nasarawa United had initially been among the teams setting the pace, but the club eventually missed out on a continental position.
That perhaps reflects the broader challenge facing Nasarawa sports: the state has produced moments of impressive achievement, but the question remains whether those achievements are being converted into a sustainable sporting system.
Nasarawa Amazons provide a different picture. If Nasarawa United’s campaign has been mixed, Nasarawa Amazons have provided one of the strongest success stories.
The Lafia-based women’s side won the 2026 President Federation Cup, defeating Heartland Queens on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The NFF recognised the Amazons as champions, with Ayatsea Hembafan winning the Most Valuable Player award and Udoka Unachukwu named best goalkeeper.
The achievement earned the players government recognition and financial rewards. Governor Abdullahi Sule also presented new buses to Nasarawa Amazons and Nasarawa United and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sports development.
It is evidence that the state’s investment in football is producing tangible results in some areas.
Yet the bigger question is whether such interventions can be sustained beyond trophies, ceremonies and immediate rewards.
The unfolding NFF crisis now puts Lafia under an even brighter spotlight.
For the first time, the city is not merely preparing to host a football election. It could become the venue where Nigerian football begins another chapter. And if the September 27 congress goes ahead, the message from Lafia will be bigger than who wins the NFF presidency.
It will be about whether Nigerian football can use a moment of crisis to rebuild its administration, and whether Nasarawa can demonstrate that its ambition to become a major sporting destination is backed by institutions and facilities capable of matching that ambition.
