FIFA’s Bureau of the Council has authorized the establishment of a Normalisation Committee to oversee the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) until new Executive Committee elections are held.
The NFF made this announcement, referencing a letter from FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström addressed to Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme.
The letter states that the committee will consist of members jointly appointed by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as soon as possible. The committee’s mandate will expire upon completion of its tasks, but in any case, no later than May 31, 2027. FIFA further clarified that members of the Normalisation Committee will not be eligible to stand as candidates in the upcoming NFF elections.
Until the committee is formally appointed, the NFF Secretariat will continue to manage the federation’s daily operations and oversee Nigerian football affairs.
This development follows recent changes in NFF leadership in August, when former President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other Executive Committee members resigned. In response, the National Sports Commission named Emmanuel Ikpeme as interim General Secretary and Ademola Olajire as interim Deputy General Secretary, while the planned NFF elective congress was suspended to allow for reforms.
President Bola Tinubu has also instructed a thorough reform of Nigerian football, directing the NSC to collaborate with the NFF and engage both FIFA and CAF in the reform process.
