Why I resigned from NFF fact-finding committee – Amun

Former Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary, Fanny Amun, has explained that he resigned as chairman of the federation’s fact-finding committee shortly after submitting its report in order to protect the integrity and independence of its findings, The PUNCH reports.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State, on Tuesday, Amun said he deliberately completed the assignment ahead of the two-week deadline given by the NFF because he did not want the committee’s conclusions altered or influenced before they reached the federation.

“I did not want anyone to influence the report before I submitted it to the NFF. That was why I submitted it and resigned,” Amun said.

“I told everyone, including members of the committee, that it would take two weeks, even though I knew it would not take me more than one week. This was because I did not want anyone to influence the fact-finding committee’s decisions. So, I decided to submit the report and resign. I am not someone who will spend more than enough time in a position.”

The NFF inaugurated the fact-finding committee on August 17, 2026, following a string of disappointing results by Nigeria’s national teams, with particular attention on the Super Falcons. The defending African champions and 10-time winners of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations suffered a quarter-final exit at the tournament before losing 2-1 to South Africa in the play-off for a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a defeat that means Nigeria will miss the global showpiece for the first time since it began in 1991.

The committee’s mandate, however, extended beyond the Super Falcons. NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, charged the panel with investigating the direct and remote causes of the recent poor performances of Nigeria’s national teams in international competitions, engaging relevant stakeholders, receiving memoranda from members of the public and making recommendations to address the challenges facing the game in the country.

Amun chaired the committee alongside former Nigeria U-20 coach Ladan Bosso, former Super Falcons star Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju and Alex Mana, with Nasiru Jibril serving as secretary.

At Tuesday’s briefing, Amun insisted the recent setbacks should not be read as outright failure, noting that Nigeria’s teams had continued to qualify for major tournaments despite the challenges facing the sport’s administration.

He was however, strongly critical of the NFF’s electoral statutes, which he said exempted serving board members from the same anti-corruption screening required of other contestants.

“If you say in the electoral law that everyone who applies must go through the Ethics Committee except the present executive board members, it is an affront,” he said, calling for the statutes to be amended to subject all contestants, including sitting board members, to screening by the Ethics Committee and financial crime agencies, and to declare their assets. He further recommended that elected football administrators be limited to two terms.

“Nobody should do more than two terms maximum,” he said.

Amun also raised concerns about the welfare of players, coaches and federation staff, alleging that board members received full allowances on foreign trips while players and coaches were left with little. He said some long-serving federation staff remained on temporary contracts despite decades of service.

Announcing his resignation from both the fact-finding committee and the NFF Ethics Committee, Amun thanked NFF President Gusau and the federation’s General Secretary and board for the opportunity to serve, describing the fact-finding assignment as complete.

“I have submitted my report on behalf of myself and the other members. I resign my appointment as the chairman of that committee, with immediate effect,” he said, adding that he remained available to provide further clarity if required. He confirmed that copies of the report had been sent to the NFF, FIFA, CAF, the National Sports Commission and other security agencies.

The NFF is yet to publicly release the contents of the committee’s report.