Former Nigeria international Edema Fuludu has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to embrace transparency and place football development at the centre of its operations amid the ongoing crisis in Nigerian football administration.
Fuludu believes poor administration has been a major factor behind Nigeria’s recent struggles and failure to qualify for several major international competitions.
According to the former midfielder, the fundamental problem facing Nigerian football is administrative rather than infrastructural or technical.
“There are administrative lapses at NFF level which led to failure to qualify for tournaments.
“Leave infrastructure, coaching development and every other thing, what Nigerians want is an NFF which is transparent, worthy to develop football and not all about the national team.” He told Brila FM.
Fuludu also warned of an impending power struggle between the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the NFF over the control and administration of football in the country.
“It’s going to be a war between the NSC and NFF. I am sure President Gusau and his board will run to FIFA.
“The NSC, I am sure, with all they are doing have the backing of the country’s President. They can’t fund football and not have a say about how it is run in the country.
“That is the bottom line. It is the clash of the titans.”
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.
In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
