Former Super Eagles coordinator Sumonu Bello-Osagie has backed the sweeping changes at the Nigeria Football Federation, saying the mass resignation of the federation’s leadership offers Nigeria a chance to break away from an administrative system that has failed to deliver consistent progress, Footynaija.com reports.
Bello-Osagie, popularly known as SBO, believes Nigerian football needs new ideas and fresh hands after years of repeated setbacks involving the national teams, domestic football and the management of players.
NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s Executive Committee resigned on August 27 amid growing pressure over Nigeria’s recent football results. Gusau said his decision was aimed at allowing a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football.
The changes came after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the Super Falcons missed the 2027 Women’s World Cup for the first time since the competition began in 1991.
Bello-Osagie backs fresh start
Bello-Osagie welcomed the decision, arguing that Nigeria cannot keep recycling the same administrators while experienced former players and coaches remain outside the system.
“I want to thank the presidency for directly or indirectly enforcing that the rule be applied that all the NFF board members should resign and let fresh hands come in,” he said in a report by The Nation.
“The world has changed. To allow mediocrity in any administrative position to continue, when you have players in this country who have reached the pinnacle of their careers and know the game inside out, yet the system is stacked against them so they will never get there, that cannot continue.”
He also called for changes to the way the NFF electoral committee operates, accusing some members of treating their positions as a permanent right.
“Every year, you have some people who take it as their birthright to be in the electoral committee, recycling the same circle of leaders in the NFF,” he said. “Enough is enough. We cannot continue like this.”
The former Super Eagles official has spent decades around Nigeria’s national teams and witnessed some of the country’s strongest periods, including the 1994 World Cup campaign and the Olympic gold medal triumph at Atlanta 1996.
He believes the difference was not only the quality of players but also the way officials managed the teams.
Bello-Osagie recalled a period when bonus and allowance disputes rarely dominated the national team setup, arguing that administrators must remove distractions that can affect players on the pitch.
“It does not make sense for you to have funds to pay players and you are holding onto it as if it’s your birthright, just because you have an opportunity to be at the helm of affairs,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
According to Bello-Osagie, Nigeria’s football problems cannot be solved by changing coaches alone. He made a similar argument after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, when he called for the NFF leadership to leave and allow the sport to start again from the top.
He also wants greater attention given to the domestic league, pointing to the era when Clemens Westerhof regularly watched Nigerian league matches and found players such as Daniel Amokachi, Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu.
“A masquerade must dance at home before he goes outside,” Bello-Osagie said at the time, arguing that Nigeria has enough talent to build several strong national teams if its domestic football structure receives proper attention.
