The Nigeria football firmament was badly shaken on Thursday after news
filtered in that a former Chairman of then Nigeria Football
Association, Brigadier-General Dominic Obukadata Oneya (rtd) had died.
He was 73.
General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, who broke the sad
news, said he was devastated beyond words because he spoke to the
revered former military chieftain on Wednesday – a matter of hours
earlier. “We spoke on Wednesday because I conveyed to him information
that the NFF had appointed him as match commissioner for the men’s
AITEO Cup final coming up on Sunday in Benin City. He told me he would
prefer to drive down to Benin from Warri on Sunday morning. He sounded
healthy and full of life. May his soul rest in peace.”
In a statement made available to Blueprint Sport Thursday night , the Board of Trustees, the President-General, Elders, the Executive and the entire members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club mourn the death of our patron and former Nigeria Football Federation President, Brigadier-General, Dominic Oneya.
In an emotional laden message, the chairman of the NFSC Rev. Samuel Ikpea described the late Oneya as a sage an administrator who served this country meritoriously.
“General Oneya was a forthright man, an administrator of uncommon excellence who put his all in the affairs of the sports industry” Rev. Ikpea said.
“General Oneya is going to be missed by Nigerians no doubt, but we have faith in our creator that he will rest in the bosom of his creator as a good son of Delta state” . Ikpea concluded.
The NFF described the former governor of Benue and Kano as ebullient, avuncular, unglamorous, diligent, a lover of people and a
stickler for excellence and was born on 26th May
1948, and served as military administrator of Kano State between
August 1996 and August 1998, when he was redeployed to Benue State in
the same role, serving there until the return of democratic rule in
May 1999.
Oneya then served as Chairman of then Nigeria Football Association
(now Nigeria Football Federation) between January 2000 and October
2002, overseeing Nigeria’s silver –medal winning outing in the 2000
Africa Cup of Nations that the country co-hosted with Ghana
