Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has delivered a strong verdict on the state of Nigerian football and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership.
Odegbami, one of Nigeria’s most respected former internationals, said the recent struggles involving the country’s national teams are evidence that those in charge of the game have failed in their responsibilities.
He stated they must accept responsibility for the country’s recent failures and should not seek re-election.
For him, failure should have consequences.
And that consequence, he believes, should be the current NFF board stepping aside.
‘They have Failed’ – Odegbami
Speaking on the recent developments surrounding Nigeria’s national teams, Odegbami argued that football administrators should be judged by the same standards applied to coaches and players.
He maintained that when a team fails to achieve its major objective, changes must follow.
Odegbami said:
“Once you fail to take your team to the World Cup, check, go try, you find that more often than not, they either sack you, or you go, or they vote you out.”
“It’s very simple. That’s the measure.”
According to the former Super Eagles star, qualification for major tournaments should be one of the clearest measures of whether football administrators have successfully carried out their responsibilities.
He believes the same principle that applies to players and coaches must also apply to those running the federation.
“If you have a coach that doesn’t do well, they sack him.”
“You have a player who is doing badly, you remove him.”
“You have to remove.”
Odegbami’s criticism was not presented as a personal attack against the members of the NFF board.
Instead, he explained that his position was based on performance and accountability.
The former Nigeria international acknowledged that the people currently running Nigerian football are friends and colleagues within the football community, making the situation particularly difficult.
However, friendship, he argued, cannot be allowed to override accountability.
“So these guys have not succeeded. They are our friends. You see, that’s the painful thing.”
Odegbami said disagreements over the performance of football administrators should not automatically be interpreted as personal hostility.
He explained:
“We know each other. We are all in the business.”
“And when you champion that fact that they should go, they think they make you an enemy.”
For Odegbami, however, demanding change is not about creating enemies. It is about recognising failure and preventing the country from repeating the same mistakes.
‘It’s not a Personalized Thing’ – Odegbami
The former international insisted that the current NFF leadership should not interpret calls for them to leave office as a personal attack.
Instead, he believes the federation’s leadership should look at the results and accept the consequences that come with them.
“It’s not a personalized thing. They have failed.”
That, according to Odegbami, should be enough to trigger a change at the top.
He argued that Nigerian football cannot continue down the same path and expect different results.
“If we go back to that route, we are going to fail as we have failed before.”
A Call for Consequences in Nigerian Football
The backdrop of a difficult period for Nigerian football attracted Segun Odegbami’s laments.
This includes attention once again focused on the performance of the country’s national teams and the leadership responsible for overseeing them.
His central argument is straightforward: there must be consequences for failure.
Coaches can be dismissed when results deteriorate.
Players can lose their places when their performances drop.
Odegbami believes administrators should face similar scrutiny when the teams under their watch fail to meet major objectives.
The former Super Eagles player therefore believes the current NFF board should not attempt to return to office.
For him, allowing the same leadership to remain in place after what he considers a failure would risk repeating a cycle that has already damaged Nigerian football in the past.
Perhaps the most striking part of Odegbami’s argument is his acknowledgement that the issue is particularly painful because of his personal relationships within Nigerian football.
He made it clear that those he is criticising are people he knows and considers friends, but, he also believes that friendship should not prevent Nigerians from demanding accountability.
His message is that football administration cannot be treated as a permanent position where leaders remain in office regardless of results.
If coaches and players can be replaced when they fail, he argues, administrators should not be exempt.
And that is why Odegbami believes the current NFF leadership has reached the point where it should step aside.
“It’s not a personalized thing. They have failed.”
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