By Victor Okoye, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
On Aug. 22, legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, was buried at the Ikoyi Cemetery in Lagos.
Fondly called “Dodo Mayana”, Rufai passed away on July 3 at age of 61 after a brief illness.
He was the first-choice goalkeeper during Nigeria’s successful football campaigns in the 1990s, including the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations victory and appearances at the USA ’94 and France ’98 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Rufai began his football career at Stationery Stores in Lagos before moving abroad, where he played for clubs in Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
After retirement, Rufai was involved in youth football development and occasionally worked with national youth teams.
Nonetheless, the indifference from the top echelon of Nigerian football towards Rufai’s burial has continued to elicit reactions from stakeholders.
Principal officers of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) did not attend any of the memorial events for the late ex-international.
The events included a Service of Songs, Funeral Mass, Lying-in-State at Onikan Stadium, and the final procession at Ikoyi Cemetery—all deemed deserving of official presence.
Observers say the absence of the NFF leadership and the NSC leadership was disappointing and disrespectful to Rufai’s legacy and Nigerian football as a whole.
“His service to the country deserved more than a ₦3 million cheque and silence,” Waidi Akanni, former Lagos FA Chairman and Rufai’s close associate, said.
“No top footballer will trust this system if we continue to treat legends like this,” Etim Esin, a former Super Eagles midfielder, said.
The NFF has, however, defended its role.“We officially communicated our regrets and sent a delegation; financial support was approved promptly,” Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Communications, said.
He added that logistics and scheduling conflicts made it difficult for the NFF President to attend the events personally.But stakeholders argue that for a player of Rufai’s stature, only the physical presence of top sports leaders would have sufficed.
Their absence, critics say, invites unnecessary backlash and reflects poorly on government’s commitment to sports heroes.
“No one is saying the NFF should do it all, but the symbolism of showing up matters,” former international, Taribo West, said.
Pundits hold that the duty of care—moral and financial—is expected from governing bodies, especially for those who represented Nigeria with distinction.
The financial duty, they say, should be shared by the NFF, Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), clubs, and private sponsors through structured agreements.
They advocate a permanent and professionally managed welfare fund as part of a collective bargaining agreement involving players’ unions.
“Player welfare should be enshrined in a standing agreement—not subject to charity,” PFAN President, Tijani Babangida, said.
According to them, the moral duty is about showing empathy and standing by families of fallen sports heroes in their final moments.
They argue that FIFA and CAF funds are generated through players’ contributions, and a portion should be allocated directly to player welfare programs.
More so, many describe the N3 million given to Rufai and Christian Chukwu’s families as grossly inadequate and insulting, considering the NFF’s access to international funds.
They say such treatment is especially troubling when some NFF staff reportedly earn huge amounts of dollars monthly and receive hefty estacodes on foreign trips.
In spite of available resources, football enthusiasts lament the absence of a structured, transparent player welfare policy.
“NSC leadership must act to protect the image of a government that has done a lot for sports,” said a PFN board member.
Worthy of recall, the Federal Government recently awarded athletes 100,000, dollars national honours, and also allocated houses to them.
Stakeholders say such laudable gestures are being undermined by poor administration.The commended PFAN, Lagos Legends Club, NFF, Lagos State Government, Owu Sports, and others who supported the Rufai family.
Lagos State approved ₦15 million for the family, though release delays were blamed on bureaucratic bottlenecks, according to officials.
What’s more, analysts say reactions from West and Esin were emotional but valid, given long-standing neglect of Nigerian footballers post-retirement.
According to the Chairman PFAN Board of Trustees, Harrison Jalla, reforms are overdue as footballers are tired of being treated as disposable assets.
Jalla advised current and former players to unite under PFAN and demand a formal collective bargaining agreement with NFF and NSC.
He warned that unless reforms happen, more protests and emotional outbursts would emerge from retired athletes.
“The 2022 NFF elections remain in court, placing doubt on whether the 2026 polls can proceed without resolving the legal crisis.
“The time for reform is now; we must honour our past, protect our present, and secure the future of Nigerian football,” Jalla said.
All in all, both active and retired Super Eagles players are people of national significance.
It is stakeholders’ view that departed Super Eagles players deserve befitting burial with active financial involvement from NFF and NSC alongside private sector partners. (NAN)
