As the current Chairman of Club Chairmen (of football clubs), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau serves on the current NFF Executive Board. He is also the NFF Safety Committee Chair.
The launch of his declaration for Nigerian football’s top job was somewhat unusual. Rather than take to a fancy Lagos or Abuja hotel for a slick, modern, graphics and video driven presentation event, Gusau declared his bid to be NFF President to local football stakeholders in his native state, Zamfara.
This is widely seen as an effort to underline his grassroots credentials - one of his key strengths. And in Zamfara football, Gusau is the one who ‘holds’ the ground that the grass grows on. His influence is built on personal relationships he has developed over the many years of his journey in the world of football.
Gusau is a long-serving and high-ranking member of the ‘inner caucus’ of Nigerian football administration. He is also a member of the crucial Confederation of African Football (CAF) Organising Committee of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) - giving him the international football administrative (and political) experience and contacts any serious contender needs.
On the flip side, he is a second strong northern contender - and there’s some danger of the block’s votes being split between him and Shehu Dikko - who certainly has more commercial experience; though Shehu later stepped down for him at the rerun election and emerged Victoriously.
Gusau has also been very publicly committed to implementing the ‘10-year Football Development Master Plan’ (FDMP) recently published by the Federal Government, if elected. Most informed observers, however, are not so sure about the depth of his commitment, or ability to deliver the FDMP - the government’s roadmap for Nigerian football, which envisages a more commercially focused, and private sector supported model for Nigerian professional football.
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In other words, less government money; more emphasis on developing football’s own ‘IGR’ and values chain; and a greater focus on developing its economic, social and (real world) development potentials.
Gusau is generally regarded to be more of a conservative or a ‘politician’ in his antecedents and approach to football administration. He is certainly not viewed as an innovator, who will champion the drive for the continually increasing private sector partnership and brand building of the Nigerian game across board that the FDMP is the roadmap towards.
He is thought by some in the know as perhaps more suited to being a ‘behind the scenes’ stabiliser, rather than someone who will spearhead the NFF’s (and Nigerian football’s) transformation - per the FDMP, and desired by most football loving Nigerians - into an organisation more in tune with the 21st Century. As such, he could be perceived as a potential round peg trying to fit into a square hole, should he get the job.
Nigerians are hopeful that the new NFF President will work towards reviving the Sporting activities in the Country.
