President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mourned the passing of veteran sports administrator, Ibrahim Galadima, who died at the age of 78, describing his death as a significant loss to Nigerian football and public service.
Galadima’s death was confirmed on Saturday, with the President paying tribute to his contributions to the development and administration of football in Nigeria.
He played a prominent role in shaping the structure of the game during his tenure as head of the former Nigeria Football Association between 2002 and 2006, a period marked by reforms and consistent participation of national teams in international competitions.
Before his role at the national level, Galadima served as Chairman of the Kano State Sports Council and also held commissioner positions in Kano State, where he contributed to sports development at both grassroots and elite levels.
Following his retirement from public service, he remained active in community leadership. He was later turbaned as Galadiman Fagge, becoming the traditional leader of Fagge in Kano State, a position through which he continued to influence community development and civic engagement.
President Tinubu noted that Galadima’s legacy would endure due to his long-standing impact on sports administration and national development, adding that his contributions helped strengthen Nigerian football across multiple tiers.
Tributes have continued to pour in from across the country, with many describing him as a bridge between sports administration, public service, and traditional leadership, and a figure whose influence will be felt for years to come.
