Fanny Amun has revealed that Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau failed to honour an invitation to appear before the fact-finding committee established to investigate the problems affecting the country’s national teams.
Amun, the former Nigeria international and coach of the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eaglets, chaired the committee inaugurated by Gusau in Abuja last Monday.
The panel was set up following a difficult period for Nigeria’s national teams, including the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Super Eagles’ failure to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria’s men’s U-20 and U-17 teams have also endured setbacks, with the Golden Eaglets failing to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup since 2019.
The committee was given two weeks to investigate the issues and submit its report and recommendations, but Amun announced his resignation on Tuesday after completing the assignment just one week into its mandate.
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Speaking on radio programme Sports Salsa on Wednesday according to Punch newspaper, Amun explained that he attempted to get Gusau before the committee so that the NFF president could respond to issues raised during the investigation.
He said he personally contacted Gusau because there were areas he wanted clarified.
“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 Amun, Gusau only began communicating with him after the committee had already moved towards submitting its findings.
“A day after I told the secretary to submit, the president started communicating with me. Members of my committee also left on Thursday and Friday, so we took the decision to submit.”
Amun said the committee had fulfilled its mandate but urged the NFF to take the findings further through its own internal processes.
“I also urge them (NFF) to use internal mechanisms to further investigate.”
Payment concerns raised before committee
One of the issues highlighted by the committee concerned the administration and funding of Nigeria’s national teams.
Amun said the committee was told that coaches had not been paid for some assignments, while board members and administrative staff could receive full estacode.
He explained that the information raised questions about whether the problems facing the national teams were purely technical.
“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. They said sometimes they will go for assignments and the board members and administrative staff will be paid full estacode, but the players and coaches get nothing. When I put those things together, some said the appointment of coaches and board members was influenced.”
The committee’s report subsequently raised concerns over the structure and fairness of compensation and resource allocation within the NFF.
It also highlighted allegations of improper influence and financial inducement in national team selections and administration, including claims that some board members and coaches influence player invitations for financial gain.
The allegations form part of the issues Amun believes require further investigation by the federation.
Amun questions NFF election system
The former international also criticised aspects of the NFF’s electoral process and the federation’s continued resistance to amendments to its statutes.
Amun questioned why election contestants were required to pass through the Ethics Committee while board members were exempt.
“On the issue of election, I read that every contestant must pass through the Ethics Committee except the board members. Is that not draconian? Why is it that every transition time, there must be war?”
He further argued that successive Nigerian administrations had called for changes to the NFF statutes to make the federation more inclusive.
“Up till today, President Jonathan, President Buhari and President Tinubu have asked them to amend the statutes to accommodate others; they refuse to amend. So for me, if you want to clear people, refer them to EFCC, ICPC and DSS. Nobody has faith in them.”
Amun’s comments add another layer to the committee’s findings, which questioned not only the performance of the national teams but also aspects of the federation’s governance and administration.
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The committee completed its work after about a week despite having been given two weeks to submit its recommendations.
Its report has since been made public and raised concerns over several areas of Nigerian football administration, including national team performance, payments, resource allocation, appointments and selection processes and Amun has now urged the NFF to publish the report in full.
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