President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, who died at the age of 61.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu shared his heartfelt condolences with the family of Rufai.
The statement, titled ‘President Tinubu Mourns The Passing Of Ex-Super Eagles Keeper Peter Rufai’, also extended sympathy to Rufai’s close friends, colleagues, and countless football fans who cherished him throughout the years.
The President noted that Rufai, also known by fans as ‘Dodomayana’, was a remarkable figure in Nigerian sports and someone who made unforgettable contributions to football in the country. Tinubu described Rufai as a “patriotic sportsman” whose name remains firmly written in Nigeria’s football history and on the wider African sports stage.
“President Tinubu notes that Peter Rufai would be remembered as one of those patriotic sportsmen who wrote their names in gold in the sporting annals of Nigeria and the African continent,” the statement read.
He also reflected on Rufai’s important role during one of Nigeria’s most successful football moments—winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994. Rufai served as the main goalkeeper during the tournament held in Tunisia. The President also pointed out Rufai’s involvement in Nigeria’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1994, held in the United States, which was a landmark moment for the nation.
“I 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, followed up with Nigeria’s equally epoch-making, first appearance at the FIFA World Cup competition, dubbed USA ’94,” Tinubu said.
