Odegbami Heads to Court to Save Nigerian Football

Nigerian football icon, Segun Odegbami, has announced plans to approach the Civil Courts to halt the upcoming elections into the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), citing constitutional flaws and decades of misgovernance that have stunted the growth of the sport in the country.

Odegbami, a former captain of the national team, described Nigeria’s repeated failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup as ‘a painful shame,’ drawing parallels with Italy’s recent football crisis.

‘For Italy, it is a monumental disaster. Their Minister of Sports called for the resignation of the federation president, and he resigned. That is the honourable thing to do,’ he said.

He argued that Nigeria’s sports authorities have been too lenient in the face of failure.

‘Our Minister of Sports has not called for any resignation despite the shame. Instead, he has advised the NFF to carry out reforms and amend offensive articles in their constitution. But these reforms are not far-reaching enough and are disguised to produce the same old results,’ Odegbami stated.

Recalling past directives ignored by the NFF, he noted that late President Muhammadu Buhari had advised constitutional amendments three years ago, but the board disregarded the order and conducted elections regardless.

‘They have remained in office, basking in the failure of Nigerian football governance,’ he added.

Odegbami emphasized that his move is not personal but aimed at correcting systemic anomalies.

‘I have no axe to grind with individual members of the current board. Many are my friends. But the constitution and electoral system are faulty, inequitable, and have been perfected for manipulation. This has halted Nigeria’s football growth for three decades,’ he declared.

He criticized the current electoral process as ‘outrageously expensive, more political, convoluted, offensive to Nigerian laws, and disenfranchising to genuine stakeholders.’

According to him, venue selection and eligibility conditions have been manipulated to favour particular contestants, undermining fairness.

Odegbami insisted that the NFF constitution must be tested against Nigerian laws and socio-cultural realities while remaining compliant with FIFA and CAF regulations.

‘The impasse can only be settled either at the National Assembly or in the civil courts. Since I am not a legislator, the only option left is to seek interpretation and justice in the Civil Courts,’ he explained.

He concluded with a call for a leaner, transparent governance structure.

‘Nigeria needs a simple executive committee, elected by relevant registered members on equal representation, through an inexpensive, open process. Elections must be held at the Federation’s headquarters in Abuja to eliminate external influence and corrupt practices. Only then can Nigerian football rise to the highest levels in the world.’