By Dorcas Francis Koji
Former Nigeria international and 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup winning coach Fanny Amun has revealed that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Ibrahim Gusau declined an invitation to appear before the federation’s Fact-Finding Committee investigating the problems affecting the country’s national teams.
Amun, who chaired the committee, made the revelation after the panel completed its assignment and submitted a report examining the recent struggles of Nigeria’s national teams.
The committee was inaugurated by Gusau in Abuja following a series of disappointing results, including the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Super Eagles’ absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria’s youth teams have also experienced difficulties, with the Golden Eaglets failing to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup since 2019.
The committee was originally given two weeks to investigate the challenges facing the national teams and submit its recommendations. However, Amun announced his resignation after completing the assignment, barely one week into the mandate.
The committee’s report subsequently became public and raised serious concerns about the NFF’s administration, including issues surrounding compensation, resource allocation and the management of the national teams.
The panel also highlighted allegations of improper influence in the selection of coaches and players, as well as claims of financial inducement in some areas of national team administration.
Speaking on the Sports Salsa radio programme on Wednesday, Amun disclosed that he personally contacted Gusau and requested a meeting with him, but the NFF president did not appear before the committee.
“We completed our assignment meeting by 10am every day. I also called the president to say that I wanted to see him to clear certain areas. I wanted to see him one-on-one and confront him, but he refused to come,” Amun said.
According to the former coach, Gusau only began communicating with him after the committee had reached the point of submitting its findings.
Amun said the committee nevertheless proceeded with its work and submitted the report, while urging the NFF to use its internal mechanisms to investigate the issues raised.
He also disclosed that the committee received complaints about unpaid allowances and salaries involving coaches and players, despite administrative officials and board members allegedly receiving full estacode payments during international assignments.
“When you say a team has failed, it is either technical or secretarial. And I asked a question; they said the coaches have not been paid,” Amun said.
He added that the committee was told that coaches and players sometimes travelled for assignments without receiving payments, while some administrative personnel allegedly received their full allowances.
Amun said these complaints raised questions about whether the appointment of certain coaches and board members had been influenced by financial considerations.
The former NFF technical committee member also criticised aspects of the federation’s electoral system and called for amendments to the NFF Statutes.
He questioned why elections within the federation repeatedly become contentious and argued that broader reforms were necessary to restore confidence in the football governing body.
Amun further suggested that allegations involving individuals within the federation should be referred to appropriate government agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Department of State Services (DSS) where necessary.
The former Golden Eaglets coach also urged the NFF to make the committee’s report fully available to the public, insisting that transparency would help address the concerns surrounding the country’s national teams.
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