Ajibade Lays Blame on Pinnick, Demands Gusau’s Exit After World Cup Fiasco

Super Falcons star Rasheedat Ajibade has publicly criticised former NFF president Amaju Pinnick, accusing him of undermining the foundational structure of Nigerian football after the Super Eagles’ disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign.

Ajibade argued that Pinnick’s policies during his tenure weakened the grassroots and administrative stability of the NFF — and that this decay contributed directly to Nigeria’s failure on the world stage.

In her comments, Ajibade also called for the removal of the current NFF president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, insisting that change at the top is essential for the football federation to rebuild trust and performance.

She claimed Gusau’s leadership has not addressed the legacy issues left behind by Pinnick, and warned that without serious reform, Nigerian football risks further decline.

Editorial

Rasheedat Ajibade’s indictment of Amaju Pinnick — and her equally pointed call for Ibrahim Gusau’s resignation — demands more than a cursory glance. It is not the rant of a disillusioned athlete it is a clarion call from within, a diagnosis of decay and a demand for radical surgery.

Ajibade is not merely laying blame. She is articulating a narrative that the rot in Nigerian football is not accidental, but structural. Her critique centres on Pinnick’s tenure, during which, she argues, the foundational architecture of the NFF was hollowed out. Grassroots systems, coaching pathways, and institutional planning, she says, were compromised or neglected.

This is not a call to nostalgia. Ajibade does not simply yearn for the old days — she demands accountability, strategic renewal, and leadership that understands that governance is not about titles, but about systems. In her view, Gusau must go not because he is new, but because he represents continuity of a troubled legacy.

The danger in Nigerian football has never just been poor results. It has been a lack of vision. Too often, leadership reacts rather than plans deals are struck for politics, not progress. Ajibade’s remarks suggest that the World Cup debacle was not a one-off failure but a symptom of something deeper — a federation unmoored from its roots.

If her words are more than an outburst, they could mark the beginning of a reckoning. Nigerian football needs more than reform it needs a re-founding. And for that, those in power will need to prove that they can think beyond the next election, the next boardroom — that they are building for the next generation.

Did You Know?

1. Pinnick’s Long Reach: Amaju Pinnick served as NFF President from 2014 to 2022, a period in which his influence extended into FIFA’s decision-making bodies.
2. Maintenance Crisis Pinnick has publicly blamed Nigeria’s poor sports development on a national lack of maintenance culture — not just for stadiums, but everyday infrastructure.
3. Audit Questions: There have been recent questions raised about the NFF’s handling of FIFA and CAF funds, with calls for greater transparency under Gusau’s administration.
4. Legacy Dispute Some former football insiders argue that Pinnick’s influence continues to divide opinion, with his time in office seen by critics as more self-promoting than developmental.
5. Structural Reform Needed Nigeria’s repeated failures in youth and senior international campaigns have reignited debates about systemic reform, not just coaching or player selection — something Ajibade’s comments echo strongly.