Sports

Mikel Obi Has No Justification to Call for NFF Board Resignation

Published

1 year ago

September 12, 2025

By “Odogwu” Patrick Ngwaogu

John Mikel Obi remains one of Nigeria’s most celebrated footballers. As a former captain of the Super Eagles, an Africa Cup of Nations winner in 2013, and a UEFA Champions League medalist with Chelsea, his achievements on the pitch are beyond dispute.

However, success as a player does not confer the right to dictate the leadership structure of football administration in Nigeria.

Following the Super Eagles’ underwhelming showing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers — where the team currently sits third behind South Africa and Benin Republic after eight matches — Mikel Obi publicly called for the resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board. His frustration is understandable, given the team’s performance, but his call lacks both legal and procedural justification.

Despite his legendary status, Mikel is not part of the NFF Congress — the body constitutionally empowered to elect or dissolve the board. He also holds no administrative position and does not represent any official football stakeholder group, such as clubs, state FAs, referees, coaches, or players’ unions. His public opinion, therefore, remains just that — an opinion. Popularity or past glory does not override established governance structures.

Moreover, reducing Nigeria’s football challenges to just the NFF board is simplistic and misleading. National team failures are multi-layered, often involving coaches, technical departments, players commitment, and broader institutional issues. Yes, the NFF has may have its flaws, but the blame cannot rest solely at its feet.

Mikel Obi’s call becomes even more questionable when we consider that he has not played an active role in the development of grassroots or domestic football in Nigeria since retiring. Constructive criticism is welcome, but meaningful change requires engagement, not grandstanding.

Furthermore, his comments ignore the broader challenges facing football administration in Nigeria: inconsistent government funding, infrastructural decay, inadequate support systems, and political interference. It is unfair to expect miracles from an NFF board that must operate within such a constrained and volatile environment.

His timing is also problematic. With two crucial matches remaining in the qualifiers, public calls for the board’s resignation can only breed instability, lower morale, and distract from the task ahead. A former captain of the national team should understand how damaging such disruptions can be to team cohesion and focus.

If Mikel has concerns about how Nigerian football is being run, there are structured channels to express them — including engagements with the National Sports Commission , the NFF Congress, or the appropriate judicial and regulatory bodies. Publicly demanding resignations without due process risks undermining institutional integrity and sets a dangerous precedent.

In conclusion, while Mikel Obi’s passion for Nigerian football is respected, football governance demands structure, law, and patience — not emotions or public pressure.

We understand, Mikel may be doing this to attract more viewers to his social media handles, but even at, Mikel has what it takes to return to the country to support the development of football instead of making noise from outside.

The NFF board should only resign if proven to have failed in its duties by the appropriate bodies, not because a former footballer — no matter how revered — insists so from the sidelines. If Mikel truly wants to influence change, he should invest in the game’s development from the ground up, rather than chase headlines with unsubstantiated demands.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

16 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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