Federal Character Commission Executive Chairman Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran has urged a far-reaching reset of women’s football in Nigeria after the Super Falcons missed out on the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Quick facts
- Omidiran spoke on Friday, August 21, 2026.
- The 2026 FCT FA Women’s Inter-Area Council Football Tournament opened at Area 3 Sports Complex, Abuja.
- Defending champions AMAC defeated Gwagwalada 7-0 in the first match.
- Omidiran served on the NFF Executive Committee from 2002 to 2006.
- She was twice chair of the NFF Women’s Football Committee.
She made the appeal at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Abuja, where AMAC began their title defence with a emphatic victory over Gwagwalada.
Omidiran said the national team’s failure should serve as a major warning and prompt renewed investment in the grassroots. She called for the sport to be rebuilt from its foundations, with proper development programmes for young girls.
“Nigeria must use this moment to reconstruct women’s football,” Omidiran said. “We need to return to grassroots football and invest seriously in nurturing our girls.”
She argued that lasting improvement would depend on sustained planning, identifying talent at an early age, organised coaching, stronger facilities and defined routes into the professional game.
The former Nigeria Football Federation executive member also asked supporters to remain patient as football officials consider how to address the situation. Omidiran said the authorities were assessing the measures required to restore the women’s football system, adding that Nigeria could not depend indefinitely on achievements from previous years.
