Former Super Eagles defender Taribo West has expressed disappointment over what he described as the neglect of Nigerian football heroes after their death.
Unfair Treatment On Rufai’s Family
Speaking passionately at the late goalkeeper Peter Rufai’s burial on Friday, the ex-Inter Milan star in a chat with Completesports.com, criticized both the Lagos State government and the Nigerian Football Federation for abandoning the family of the football icon.
The ex-Inter Milan star recounted similar situations with deceased football legends like Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, and Thompson Oliha.
My Son Won’y Represent Nigeria
He pointed out that the treatment of ex-players discouraged him from encouraging his children to serve the country through their football skills.
“A big vacuum has been created in the circle of football fraternity especially for our nation and also the African continent and black race. My heart is bleeding, I don’t have the words to express Peter Rufai’s capacity or enormous input to the football world, Nigeria and in Africa.
“I’m just happy to be here and I can see some of my contemporaries and I’m here to share the burdens and the pains with the Rufai family. To me, it’s disheartening to have Lagos State and the Nigeria Football Federation who dropped the bucks on the family.
“My mother passed on I never shed tears, my father passed on in my hands I never shed tears but when Rufai passed on I had goose pimples on my body. What kind of nation is this? It this kind of example they had shown in the case of Yisa Shofoluwe, Stephen Keshi, Thompson Oliha, and Rashidi Yekini. I will never advice even my son put his feet to use for this country.
Read Also:Emotional Farewell As Super Eagles Legend Peter Rufai Laid To Rest In Lagos
“Do we have a football federation or is there a football association in this Lagos State that this hero, this soldier had to be treated this way and his family? Could you imagine that the family would be crying out to our group asking for money.”
Rufai Passes Away
Rufai, who passed away in July 2025 was fondly called “Dodo Mayana.” He was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and the country’s debut at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
6 Comments
I don’t know who to blame ho buh when he was sick, hope this was channel to proper quarter where government can actually help out.
There should an association of ex sport men and women, they can always use thiss as a platform to reach out for help.
Pastor Taribo remember same Nigeria gave you platform to achieve stardom so don’t completely throw Nigeira away.
Rather you guys mostly ex international should come up with an idea that will make government responsible for the well being of our sport men and women.
Footballers are not special,they’re the same as other citizens.
In fact they enjoyed a lot from the government more than men and women who sacrificed,gave their services for many years without good pension scheme a lot has nothing from the government and died to poor medical care and abject penury.They’re all on the same boat,i would say footballers enjoyed a good life,from 5 star hotels,flying business class fat salaries and all tha, due to illiteracy most of them lavished their huge income buying fast cars,ostentatiously costly and luxurious materials and lifestly,forgetting football is a short career only to start looking for who to blame in the end.
I remember Taribo West getting married to a Yoruba lady in lagos and had a lavish wedding that cost M28 back then.Today he appears broke and will blame government tomorrow wont have himself to blame for spending that much for a wedding,sadly the marriage didn’t last for a couple of months.
Apparently,Nigeria gave you the platform to thrive.Without Nigeria you wouldn’t have made it as a footballer be grateful at least!!
God bless you my brother Greenturf…how I wish some of your brain cells can be transferred to that demented rodent and others who fail to understand that everything boils down to spending and investment….but just to add The civil servants who work tirelessly for the country with low income when they die nobody gets to remember them…what about soldiers that die every day from Boko Haram bullets who gets to remember them? Police nko that protects life everyday with a low salary who gets to bury them? But footballers who had their time even if you play for black burn rovers in the championship you are 1000 times better of intems of income than our Nigerian teachers ..so don’t come and be lamenting on pages of newspaper…it is what you did with the funds that matters
And one compound fool is bitter and has been biting trees all over the place because Osimhen chose 400k per week and a god-like status over the 80k per week the club he supports was offering………LMAOOooo.
If medals could pay bills, our goalkeeping legend would still be with us.
If medals could pay bills, other legends like Keshi, Yekini and Oliha wouldn’t have wasted away unceremoniously.
If medals could pay bills, Tijani Babangida would not need a GoFundMe set up by his club to remain alive today.
If medals could pay bills, Kanu’s Heart Foundation wouldn’t be scouring for funds year in year out to remain alive.
Its so sad that in this clime, we have no honour for past heroes and senior citizens of the country. It not only bothers on sportsmen alone……it also includes all those who have served this country meritoriously one way or another.
Taribo said it all: Nigeria is not worth dying for. And I don’t think there’s a truer fact than that.
Lmao! Fool with PhD…. lmao who do you like this nah? And who told you peter rufai was broke in his active days or even even immediately after playing…. lmao even without football money the royalty money as a prince and heir to the throne then of a Lagos first class king was enough to feed your wretched generation…. lmao
Fool…eya sorry ehn… If you like don’t start investing now ok sorry I forgot you are broke and shameless so obviously there is nothing to invest lmao…. But if your idiot sorry idol (osimhen) like let him be earning billions every minute not even week that he kicks the ball in turkey and not invest it wisely when he dies it is from complete sport comment section that we will do a fund raising for him…. lmao…..
Common sense is really not common…infact why should anyone be expecting a common sense from you?? No wonder I call you a demented rodent even when you are still fooling people here with the Dr thing lmao…..
This is true.