W’Cup 2026 exit: Pressure mounts on NFF as Lafia Congress looms

 Sodje maintains that Nigeria is trapped in a cycle of mediocrity, warning that until the country stops "doing the same thing and expecting different results," the national team's trajectory will remain stagnant.

For him, the problem is not merely the absence of a World Cup ticket; it is the absence of a professional blueprint that respects the heritage of the shirt.

The technical engine room: merit vs. mediocrity

The criticism, however, is not confined to results; it extends to the process of how football is governed. Prince Harrison Jalla, chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Concepts, has launched a blistering attack on the NFF Technical Committee, which he describes as the "engine room" of the federation.

Jalla's primary contention is that the technical direction of the country's football has been entrusted to individuals whose pedigree is, at best, questionable. He asked pointedly: "What is the pedigree of Alhaji Shariff Rabiu in Nigerian football? Who appointed him? Is the appointment based on merit?"

In a nation that boasts former players of the calibre of Emmanuel Amuneke, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba, Jalla argues that excluding these icons from decision-making is an administrative crime.

"Any federation that appoints a complete novice from inception is doomed to failure," he stated. "The Technical Committee is the heartbeat of a federation. We certainly cannot continue like this. It is time to rebuild our football."

The DR Congo controversy

Jalla's group has also raised serious allegations regarding what it describes as a "fraudulent" petition against the  Democratic Republic of  Congo.

According to Jalla, the NFF fabricated a protest over player eligibility as a diversionary tactic to pacify the Presidency and the public following the qualifying disaster. He alleges the petition was deliberately filed out of time, submitted to the wrong address, and lodged without the required protest fees.

"The clear intention was to deceive the President of the Federal Republic and Nigerians into believing that Nigeria would qualify through a petition that the petitioners knew very well was not properly before FIFA," Jalla alleged. He has challenged the NFF to produce a copy of the petition, the FIFA response, and the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. With DR Congo having since qualified for the World Cup through a play-off against Jamaica, the NFF's silence on the matter has only fuelled the reformers' fire.

Protests and grassroots anger

Indeed, the  anger has now reached grassroots level, manifesting in the "Reform Our Football" coalition led by Leo Olagbaye. The group has announced a nationwide protest beginning in Abuja under the hash tag #TimeIsNow. Their grievances extend beyond the Super Eagles to include the perceived neglect of the Super Falcons and the decay of Nigeria's once-formidable youth systems.

"We are at the tipping point," the group declared. "Treating the Super Falcons like second-class citizens and refusing to prepare them for a tournament with the World Cup ticket at stake is the last straw." The coalition alleges that the Falcons are still owed bonuses from WAFCON 2024, while the Golden Eaglets — once five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions — now struggle to qualify at the WAFU B regional level, a decline the group attributes squarely to the leadership of NFF General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi.

The protesters have also taken aim at the NFF's electoral structure, claiming the current statutes are "set up to throw up the highest bidder." Olagbaye's group argues that 53 congress members cannot continue to decide the fate of Nigeria's football-loving public. "Taxpayers fund the federation and must hold it accountable," they stated.

The defence: KPIs and infrastructure

Despite the mounting pressure, the NFF leadership has its defenders. Bukola Olopade, Director-General of the National Sports Commission, has stepped forward in support of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led board, arguing that the NFF should be judged on its Key Performance Indicators across the board, not solely on the Super Eagles' failure.

"This NFF board has done their job," Olopade insisted in a recent interview. "The same NFF qualified all our female teams for the World Cup, won the WAFCON, and reached the final of the last AFCON." His defence is one of collective progress, urging Nigerians to consider the broader picture of administration under the NSC.

Philip Shaibu, Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, has similarly praised the administration for what he calls "invisible but impactful" reforms.

Visiting the NFF Secretariat in Abuja on Monday — leading a team of NIS management and staff on what was described as a condolence and strategic visit — Shaibu was effusive in his assessment of a federation he believes is quietly laying the foundations for sustainable growth.

"There is a silent revolution going on in Nigerian football that people may not appreciate for now," Shaibu told Gusau. "The fruits of those reforms will be evident in the coming years. See what is happening in the League. Last weekend, Bendel Insurance went to Bauchi to defeat Wikki Tourists. Shooting Stars went to Maiduguri to defeat El-Kanemi Warriors. These things were not possible some years ago. The NNL is also undergoing remarkable transformation."

Shaibu pointed to the NFF-FIFA Players' Hostel and new training pitches at the MKO Abiola National Stadium's Package B as legacy projects demonstrating the board's long-term commitment to infrastructure. The NIS chief is also partnering the NFF on an ambitious two-year plan to train two million coaches, arguing that the solution to Nigeria's decline lies in closing the coaching gap rather than dismantling the current structure.

Gusau's administration, now in its third year, has accumulated a record of reforms that stretches well beyond the Super Eagles' qualifying implosion. Coaching courses — including CAF C-Licence and CAF B-Licence programmes — have been revived after years of inertia, with a historic women-only CAF C-Licence course drawing 30 participants to Abuja for a three-module programme. CAF approval for the A-Licence is imminent, and a women-only CAF B course is scheduled for next year.

Refereeing standards have also received attention, with the NFF deploying modern communication equipment for match officials and securing branded suits for commissioners through its official bank, Premium Trust Bank. Statutes have been amended following a FIFA-endorsed process ratified at last month's extraordinary general assembly.

Gusau's shuttle diplomacy has produced visible improvements in stadium facilities across Benue, Ogun, Kano, Oyo, Bayelsa, Edo and Kwara States. He was also, on Wednesday, named patron of the newly established Renewed Hope Unity Cup — a grassroots competition consistent with his administration's emphasis on developing the game from the base.

Lafia 2026: the ultimate showdown

As the road to Lafia narrows, the dispute over the NFF statutes remains the ultimate battleground. Recent meetings in Bayelsa to amend those statutes were dismissed by Jalla as "cosmetic charades" designed to perpetuate a "defective structure." He has vowed to challenge the amendments both in the public square and through the courts.

"The NFF cannot take our football down the same route as in the last 12 years," Jalla warned — a reference that spans successive NFF administrations predating Gusau's assumption of office in 2022. "We shall remain in the trenches until Nigerian football is salvaged."

With the September congress looming, Lafia has become more than a host city; it is the site of a referendum on four years of the Gusau-led board. For the reformers, it represents the last opportunity to rescue the game from what they describe as a "corruption-infested administration." For the establishment, it is a battle for survival grounded in infrastructure gains and continental results.