{"id":231806,"date":"2025-07-04T11:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/tinubu-mourns-ex-eagles-goalkeeper-peter-rufai\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T11:18:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:18:23","slug":"tinubu-mourns-ex-eagles-goalkeeper-peter-rufai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/tinubu-mourns-ex-eagles-goalkeeper-peter-rufai\/","title":{"rendered":"Tinubu Mourns Ex-Eagles Goalkeeper Peter Rufai"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tinubu Mourns Ex-Eagles Goalkeeper Peter Rufai<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>President Bola Tinubu has said that former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai wrote his name in gold in the sporting annals of Nigeria and the African continent.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on June 3, 2025, the President paid tribute to the football icon, fondly remembered by fans as \u201cDodomayana\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The football legend passed away on Thursday at the age of 61.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recall with fond memories the heroic contributions of Peter Rufai in the historic victory of the Super Eagles at the 1994 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia as the first-choice goalkeeper,\u201d President Tinubu said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe followed up with Nigeria\u2019s equally epoch-making, first appearance at the FIFA World Cup competition, dubbed USA \u201994.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tinubu said the late footballer\u2019s legacy would live on in the hearts of Nigerians and football lovers worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>The President also highlighted Rufai\u2019s involvement in the 1998 World Cup in France and noted his pioneering role in professionalising Nigerian football, having plied his trade in Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving started his career with Stationery Stores of Lagos in 1980, Rufai was one of the earliest footballers in Nigeria to go professional, playing in many European countries\u2026 bringing honour to the nation and opening a new window of opportunities for young footballers in Nigeria,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond his footballing achievements, Rufai, a prince of the royal family in Idimu, Lagos, was lauded for his efforts in mentoring the next generation through his Staruf Football Academy. \u201cHe continued to inspire, mentor and nurture young footballers,\u201d President Tinubu said.<\/p>\n<p>The President offered prayers for the repose of his soul and comfort to his family and all who mourn him.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_934835\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-934835\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-934835\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-17-1.png 650w, https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-17-1-300x162.png 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-17-1.png\"\/><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-934835\" src=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-17-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-17-1.png 650w, https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-17-1-300x162.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-934835\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo of President Bola Tinubu. Credit: Bayo Onanuga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tributes have continued to pour in from across the football and political landscapes. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described Rufai\u2019s passing as a \u201cprofound loss\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter Rufai\u2019s remarkable contributions to the beautiful game will always be remembered, and he will be sorely missed,\u201d Atiku said.<\/p>\n<p>Super Eagles forward Ahmed Musa also penned an emotional message: \u201cCan\u2019t believe I\u2019m typing this \u2013 a post to bid farewell to a true giant of Nigerian football, Peter Rufai. Your heroic reflexes and unwavering presence between the posts brought us moments of pride on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThough you\u2019ve left us, your legacy soars higher than any trophy. Fly high, DODOMAYANA \u2014 the nation mourns a hero. Condolences to your family, friends, teammates, and fans. Rest in peace, legend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rufai, who earned 65 caps for the national team, made history in 1993 by scoring for the Super Eagles in a 6\u20130 win against Ethiopia. His quick reflexes and acrobatic saves earned him the nickname \u201cDodomayana\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Until his passing, he was also known for his passion for education, having enrolled at the National Institute for Sports in Lagos to acquire formal coaching credentials.<\/p>\n<p>His death, announced the same day as the tragic passing of Liverpool star Diogo Jota in a car crash, marked a dark moment in the global football fraternity.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Bola Tinubu,Diogo Jota,Peter Rufai<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/2025\/07\/04\/tinubu-mourns-ex-eagles-goalkeeper-peter-rufai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tinubu Mourns Ex-Eagles Goalkeeper Peter Rufai \u00a0 President Bola Tinubu has said that former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai wrote his name in gold in the sporting annals of Nigeria and the African continent. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on June 3, 2025, the President paid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":231807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[187,253,268],"class_list":["post-231806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-bola-tinubu","tag-diogo-jota","tag-peter-rufai"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}