Segun Solanke, a candidate for the presidency of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has criticised what he sees as a habit of accepting mediocrity in Nigerian football, arguing that reaching the World Cup should be regarded as the starting point rather than a major triumph.
“Qualification for the World Cup should not be treated as the highest point of our football,” Solanke said. “For a nation with Nigeria’s football standing, getting there ought to be the minimum target.”
The businessman, club proprietor and sports administrator said Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups consecutively should have prompted a serious examination of the country’s football strategy and administration. “Missing two successive World Cups should make us take a hard look at how our football is organised and run,” he said, pointing to Nigeria’s “extraordinary amount of talent, passion and resources” and the failure to turn those assets into regular success.
He said that disappointment was a major reason behind his bid for the NFF presidency, which is being promoted under the message “One Vision, One Football, One Nigeria.” Solanke said his aim was for Nigerians “to look at the management of our football again and see a clear path forward.”
Regarding the continuing argument over whether the federation’s official legal name should be the NFA or the NFF, Solanke adopted a measured position. He said its “legal identity must be properly settled” in line with Nigerian law and in a manner that meets FIFA and CAF requirements. However, he warned that the dispute over terminology must not distract from the game’s fundamental challenges. “Are we producing footballers? Are children being given chances? Can our clubs survive? Are players being safeguarded? Are our national sides succeeding? Is the system open and accountable? Those are the issues that deserve attention,” he said.
Solanke also identified the absence of long-term planning as a central weakness. “We change leaders every four years and then begin another round of fresh plans. That is not how football development operates,” he said. He proposed a framework that would remain in place despite changes at the top, supported by what he called “a dependable national database covering players, coaches, referees, academies and clubs.”
Solanke, who delivers community projects through the T.I.D.E Initiative and supports youth sport through his company Provazios, said grassroots football should form the foundation of reform, not be treated as a secondary concern. He outlined a route “from school football, through grassroots programmes and academies, into state competitions, national youth tournaments, professional clubs and the national teams” that should be clear to every child. He also described age cheating as an enduring problem, saying, “If our commitment is truly to developing young Nigerians, we must establish the real ages of the children in the system.”
On the subject of private capital, Solanke, who owns a club, said the federation had approached football mainly as a platform seeking sponsorship instead of as an industry capable of attracting investment.
“The NFF needs to help create investment rather than merely collect sponsorship,” he said. As president, he added, his responsibility would be to give investors confidence instead of uncertainty: “You are putting money into an organised industry, governed by clear regulations, identifiable opportunities and returns that can last.”
