Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha has been named chairman of the FIFA-approved Normalisation Committee to oversee the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The Bureau of the FIFA Council approved the committee on Thursday, October 22, in a letter signed by FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström and addressed to the NFF’s acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme.
The committee is mandated to manage the NFF’s affairs and conduct fresh elections into its Executive Committee. Its tenure will expire no later than May 31, 2027.
FIFA said the committee’s members would be appointed jointly by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). None of them will be eligible to contest the forthcoming NFF elections.
Mustapha, a former president of the CAF Appeal Committee and a serving member of the FIFA Anti-Racism Committee, emerged as chairman ahead of Barrister Christopher Green, who was backed by state FA chairmen.
The development follows the mass resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and eight members of the federation’s Executive Committee on August 27, 2026.
The resignations came after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the Super Falcons also failed to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Pending the inauguration of the Normalisation Committee, the NFF Secretariat, under Ikpeme, will continue to handle the federation’s day-to-day operations.
Among the committee’s key responsibilities are reviewing and rewriting the 2010 NFF Statutes, expanding the membership of the NFF Congress, auditing the federation’s finances and organising transparent elections.
