Taribo West: I’ll Never Encourage My Son to Play for Nigeria

Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has condemned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Lagos State Government for allegedly neglecting the family of late legendary goalkeeper, Peter Rufai.

Speaking emotionally at Rufai’s burial in a video shared by News Central on Friday, the ex-Inter Milan star lamented the continued abandonment of Nigeria’s football heroes after their deaths.

“It’s heartbreaking. You have Lagos State, you have the NFF, yet everything is left for the family to bear. That’s why I stepped back, because I don’t want to implode. It’s grieving,” he said.

West recalled how he barely shed tears at the death of his own parents but was moved to tears when Rufai passed, describing the treatment of the late goalkeeper’s family as disgraceful. He also cited similar neglect in the cases of Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, and Thompson Oliha, insisting such experiences discourage him from supporting his children to represent Nigeria in football.

“With this kind of example, I can never advise my son to wear Nigeria’s colours. Could you imagine the family crying and begging within our small groups for financial help? That’s madness,” he added.

Peter Rufai, fondly known as “Dodo Mayana,” was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the country’s 1994 AFCON victory and its maiden FIFA World Cup appearance the same year. He died in July 2025.