{"id":121563,"date":"2025-08-23T06:53:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T05:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=121563"},"modified":"2025-08-23T06:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T05:53:06","slug":"taribo-west-slams-nff-lagos-govt-over-neglect-of-late-rufais-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/taribo-west-slams-nff-lagos-govt-over-neglect-of-late-rufais-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Taribo West Slams NFF, Lagos Govt Over Neglect of Late Rufai\u2019s Family"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has slammed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Lagos State Government for allegedly abandoning the family of late legendary goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, during his funeral rites.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Speaking at Rufai\u2019s funeral service held on Friday, August 22, in Lagos, West expressed disappointment that despite Rufai\u2019s immense contributions to Nigerian football, his family was left to seek financial assistance from friends and colleagues.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He said, \u201cIt\u2019s disheartening that you have Lagos State, you have the Nigerian Football Association. They drop the bulk on the family. Could you imagine that the family would be crying to solicit within our groups, just to ask for money? It is madness. With this kind of example, I will never advise even my son to put his feet for this country.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The ex-Inter Milan star described Rufai\u2019s death as a personal loss, admitting he was more shaken than when his own parents passed away.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cMy mother passed on. I never shed tears. My father passed on in my hands. I never shed tears. When Rufai passed on, I had goose pimples on my body,\u201d he lamented.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>West further questioned the role of the football authorities, insisting that a national hero like Rufai deserved better recognition and support.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>However, former Nigerian international, Waidi Akanni, countered West\u2019s claims, stating that the Lagos State Government supported the family with \u20a615 million, in addition to contributions from the Lagos State Football Association, the Lagos State Sports Commission, and individuals.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Peter Rufai, fondly called \u201cDodo Mayana\u201d, died on July 3, 2025, after a prolonged illness. He was laid to rest on Friday at the Ikoyi Cemetery following a funeral mass at the Catholic Church of Visitation, Festac Town, Lagos.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Rufai was a key member of the Super Eagles\u2019 golden generation, winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has slammed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Lagos State Government for allegedly abandoning the family of late legendary goalkeeper,&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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