Nigeria Senate Raises Alarm Over National Teams Performances After Closed-Door Meeting
By Saheed Afolabi
The Nigerian Senate has voiced serious concern over the recent performances of the country’s national football teams, citing the Super Falcons’ disappointing campaign at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco and the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Senator Abdul Ningi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, expressed the concerns following a closed-door meeting with National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, and NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade.
Ningi, who followed the Super Falcons’ outing in Morocco, described their performance as underwhelming, noting that the team had received adequate motivation and support from the Federal Government ahead of the tournament.
The meeting was convened to seek explanations on the state of Nigerian football and the wider development of sports in the country.
The engagement, however, took an unexpected turn. Journalists waiting to question the officials on football development and funding were left without responses after Gusau, Dikko and Olopade departed the venue shortly after the closed-door session.
Reporters had sought clarification on the millions of dollars in funding received by Nigeria from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The funds are earmarked for football development, infrastructure, competitions and related programmes.
