The National Sports Commission has placed Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme in temporary charge of the Nigeria Football Federation Secretariat, naming the former Deputy General Secretary as acting General Secretary.
Dr. Ademola Olajire, previously the NFF’s Director of Media and Communications, will serve as interim Deputy General Secretary.
Quick facts
- Emmanuel Ikpeme is acting as NFF General Secretary.
- Ademola Olajire has become interim Deputy General Secretary.
- The NFF Elective Congress planned for September 27 has been suspended.
- FIFA and CAF will be consulted during the governance overhaul.
The changes came after NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi and multiple Executive Committee members resigned on Thursday.
As a result, preparations for the NFF Elective Congress, which had been due to take place on September 27, have been halted. A fresh electoral structure will be developed after a wide-ranging governance review carried out with input from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football.
The transition instructions also require the chairmen, appointed directors and chief executive officers of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and Nationwide League One to transfer control of league administration immediately to their respective chief operating officers.
Where a league’s COO is not an NFF employee, acting General Secretary Ikpeme will assign another federation official to take over that role.
The NSC said the temporary arrangements are intended to preserve day-to-day administration while football stakeholders, government representatives, FIFA and CAF work together on a wider reform plan for Nigerian football. More instructions will be issued later.
