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The Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative (ANFRI) has accused National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman, Shehu Dikko, of running a secretive and opaque reform process for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), warning that the planned Normalisation Committee risks being packed with loyalists under the cover of FIFA involvement.
In a statement issued by its Chairman, Prince Harrison Jalla, the group said the NSC has failed to issue any official update since public pressure for football reform peaked three weeks ago, relying instead on reports from what it described as media allies of the commission. It also faulted the NSC for not disclosing details of a recent trip to Zurich, including who was on the delegation.
Jalla questioned the commission’s commitment to accountability, insisting that NSC officials remain answerable to football stakeholders and the Nigerian public, who he said retain the right to demand their removal over poor performance.
The group is demanding that the NSC publish a clear roadmap for the reform process ahead of any Normalisation Committee being constituted, arguing that stakeholders must be allowed to scrutinise and contribute to it. It further insisted that federating units of the NFF be given the chance to nominate their own representatives to the committee, rather than have members imposed on them.
“The reform process is not an exclusive right of the NSC; it is a joint project involving all Nigerian football stakeholders,” Jalla said, describing the commission’s continued silence as worrying and suggestive of a hidden agenda.
