Key Points

• Taribo West condemned the NFF neglect of Rufai’s family.

• He said Nigeria has repeatedly failed to honor its football icons.

• Rufai, who starred at two World Cups, died in Lagos at 61.

Former Super Eagles defender Taribo West has accused the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Lagos State Government of abandoning the family of late goalkeeper Peter Rufai.

He said the neglect was heartbreaking and revealed a deeper pattern of disregard for Nigeria’s football heroes.

West spoke during Rufai’s burial in Lagos. He said it was painful to see the family without proper support.

According to him, the treatment was not only about Rufai but also about how the country had failed legends like Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, and Thompson Oliha.

Taribo West blasts NFF neglect of Rufai

The former Inter Milan defender admitted Rufai’s passing shook him deeply. “When Rufai passed on, I had goose pimples on my body.

What kind of nation is this?” he asked in a video released by News Central. He added that it was one of the few times in his life he shed tears.

West, visibly angry, said the NFF and Lagos State dropped the burden on Rufai’s family. Instead of receiving help from the government, they were forced to seek donations from friends and colleagues.

“This hero, this soldier, this football evangelist, has to be treated this way? That is madness,” he said.

Rufai’s career with the Super Eagles spanned 14 years. He was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

In 1994, he helped the team win the Africa Cup of Nations after earlier reaching the finals in 1984 and 1988.

Beyond the national team, Rufai also played in Europe. He played in Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands before retiring as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated goalkeepers.

He died on July 3 at the age of 61 in a Lagos hospital after battling a long illness.

For West, the loss was not only personal but also another reminder of how Nigeria fails to honor its stars once the spotlight fades.