Former House of Representatives Committee on Sports chairman Hon. Godfrey Ali Gaiya has dismissed concerns that moves to reform Nigerian football should be viewed as a witch-hunt, insisting that laws and regulations must be reviewed whenever existing structures require improvement.
Gaiya believes the current debate surrounding the Nigeria Football Federation provides an opportunity to examine not only its leadership but also the rules governing who can participate in running the country’s football.
Speaking on the wider reform process, the former lawmaker argued that amendments are a normal and continuing part of law-making and should therefore not be treated as an extraordinary attack on particular individuals.
His latest position follows an earlier warning that Nigeria must use the present opportunity to address fundamental weaknesses within its football administration.
“The best time” to reform Nigerian football is now, Gaiya previously said while calling for weaknesses in the existing system to be addressed rather than carried into another administration.
A major concern for Gaiya is what he considers the restrictive nature of the current NFF structure.
He argues that Nigerian football has effectively become a closed system, where opportunities to aspire to its highest leadership positions are concentrated among a limited group of stakeholders.
Gaiya has also previously stressed that reform must accommodate competing interests rather than favour one bloc.
“This is the time to be fair to everyone,” he said in an earlier intervention, arguing that all legitimate stakeholders should receive consideration in determining Nigerian football’s future.
His position is therefore that changing the governing framework should not automatically be interpreted as targeting individuals.
For Gaiya, genuine reform means examining the rules themselves — and determining whether Nigerian football can be opened to broader participation while retaining a credible governance structure.
