The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Saturday paid a condolence visit to the family of late Super Eagles legend, Peter Rufai, at their residence in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State.
Rufai, popularly known as “Dodo Mayana,” was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the country’s 1994 Africa Cup of Nations victory and its debut at the FIFA World Cup. He passed away in July 2025 and was laid to rest on Friday, August 22, in Lagos.
Obi, who arrived in Lagos from Abuja the morning after the burial, was accompanied by former international footballer Sylvanus Okpala. He met with Rufai’s siblings — Bruce, who flew in from Spain, and sisters Bosede and Dele — spending about an hour with the family, offering prayers and signing the condolence register.
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Explaining his absence at the burial, Obi said he only learnt of the date the previous day while in Abuja and had flown into Lagos immediately to console the family. He expressed deep sympathy over the goalkeeper’s passing and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
Family members welcomed the visit warmly, with Rufai’s brother Bruce noting that Obi’s presence helped ease their grief after feeling neglected by authorities.
The visit came a day after former Super Eagles defender Taribo West criticised both the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Lagos State Government for what he described as their abandonment of Rufai’s family.
Speaking emotionally at the burial, West decried the treatment of Nigerian football heroes after their passing, recalling similar neglect faced by the families of Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, and Thompson Oliha.
“It’s disheartening that you have Lagos State, you have the NFF, and yet the family is left alone. Could you imagine that the family had to solicit among themselves for support? That is madness,” West said, lamenting that such neglect discouraged him from advising his own children to serve Nigeria through football.
Rufai remains one of Nigeria’s most celebrated goalkeepers, remembered for his heroics between the posts and his role in lifting the country’s football to global recognition.
