Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has voiced his deep frustration over Nigeria’s treatment of its football legends, declaring that he would never advise his son to play for the country.
Speaking at the funeral service of former national team goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, West lamented the neglect faced by Nigerian football heroes and their families after their years of service to the nation.
“I’m just happy to be here, to see some of my old contemporaries on this incredible day, and to share the burden and the pains that have rested upon this family’s shoulders,” West said.
Expressing sorrow, the ex-Inter Milan star recalled how the deaths of past football icons exposed the failures of Nigerian football authorities.
“My mother passed on. I never shed tears. My father died in my hands. I never shed tears. But when Rufai passed on, I had goose pimples all over my body and tears rolled down my cheeks,” he revealed.
West condemned the neglect of late football stars such as Stephen Keshi, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini, and Samuel Okwaraji, insisting that Nigeria has failed to honor its heroes.
“What kind of nation is this? With the way they were treated, I will never advise even my son to put his feet on the pitch for this country,” he declared.
The ex-Super Eagles defender also criticized the Nigerian Football Federation and state authorities for abandoning the families of fallen stars.
“Could you imagine that the family will be crying, begging, and soliciting for money within our groups just to survive? That is madness! Do we have a Football Federation or just an association?” he asked bitterly.
West concluded with an emotional plea: “This hero, this soldier, this football evangelist has been treated this way in his family. Look, please let me go, I don’t want to pour my heart out.”
