SENATE SUMMONS NSC, NFF OVER NIGERIA’S FOOTBALL FAILURES DESPITE INCREASED FUNDING

The Senate Committee on Sports has demanded explanations from the leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over Nigeria’s recent poor performances in international football despite increased government funding and financial incentives.

The committee held an emergency meeting on Wednesday with NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko and NFF President Ibrahim Gusau to address the country’s worsening football crisis.

The meeting was chaired by Abdul Ningi, senator representing Bauchi Central and chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Ningi said the session was convened at the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

‘Why are we failing despite government support?’

Ningi said the meeting was part of efforts to gather information ahead of a report he would present to the Senate when plenary resumes next month on the state of Nigerian sports, particularly football.

“I have the authority of the Senate president on this very important meeting, who recently asked me: ‘Senator Ningi, what is happening in sports, what is happening in football?’”

He said the Senate was particularly concerned about the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

According to Ningi, the Federal Government has provided substantial financial support to Nigerian athletes and football officials, including a $100,000 payment each to Super Falcons players and officials.

He added that the government had also significantly increased the sports budget.

“I thought the president had done all that he could in motivating them. And also, as the chairman of the Senate committee, I’ve also seen that the president has almost quadrupled the budget of the sports ministry,” he said.

Senate raises NSC-NFF rift

Ningi disclosed that the strained relationship between the NSC and NFF was one of the major issues discussed during the meeting.

“I called them to close ranks, that is, the Nigerian Football Federation and the National Sports Commission because as it is today, they are wide apart,” he said.

He said the two organisations would engage further with the Presidency as part of efforts to resolve their differences.

Ningi described the process as “work in progress” and said the Senate would continue monitoring developments.

‘Football must generate its own revenue’

The senator also questioned the NFF’s continued dependence on government funding, arguing that football should generate more revenue through commercial partnerships and sponsorships.

“In most countries, football runs itself; they don’t need to wait for government intervention. Why are we different?” he asked.

Ningi said sports such as scrabble, golf, hockey and basketball had demonstrated that federations could become more financially independent.

He also said the Senate would seek clarification on whether funds appropriated to the NFF had actually been released.

Senate considers calls to disband NFF

The committee chairman further disclosed that the Senate would consider demands by some football stakeholders for the NFF to be disbanded.

However, he stressed that any action must comply with Nigerian law and FIFA regulations.

“My concern is that whatever action we must do, we must do it within the limits of the law. We must look at our laws, and we must also look at the FIFA statutes,” Ningi said.

He said the Senate’s objective was to ensure that any measures taken to address the crisis were implemented in a “civilised manner”.

The committee is expected to continue consultations with the NSC and NFF as it seeks to address the institutional crisis and reposition Nigerian football for improved performances on the international stage.