OBITUARY
NSC Mourns Passing of Former Kano Pillars Chairman Abba Yola
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has expressed deep sorrow over the death of veteran sports administrator and former Kano Pillars Chairman, Abba Yola, describing his passing as a painful loss to Nigeria’s sports community.
Alhaji Yola, a retired Assistant Director in the Ministry of Sports, also served as Chief of Staff to former Sports Minister Sunday Dare. Throughout his distinguished career, he held numerous high-profile positions within Nigeria’s sports architecture.
According to a media release by Dr (Mrs) Kehinde Ajayi, the Director of Press at the NSC, the chairman of NSC, Shehu Dikko, described Yola as a “sports administrator par excellence” whose contributions to Nigerian sports were both immense and enduring.
“Alhaji Abba Yola was not only a seasoned administrator but also a personal friend. His death is a shocking and painful loss,” Dikko said.
“We worked closely during his tenure as Chairman of Kano Pillars, and I witnessed firsthand his commitment to the development of sports in Nigeria. He left a lasting legacy, particularly through his role in the Sports Commission and Ministry of Sports.”
Dikko also recalled Yola’s significant role in Nigeria’s qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, noting his service as a member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) that oversaw the campaign.
Similarly, the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, paid glowing tribute to the late administrator, calling him “one of the brightest minds Nigeria has produced in sports administration.”
“Alhaji Yola came through the ranks in the Sports Commission and was instrumental in many of the successes we are seeing today,” Olopade said.
“As Chief of Staff to Sunday Dare, he was actively involved in launching the ‘Adopt-An-Athlete’ initiative, which has evolved into the Elite Athletes and Podium Performance Program currently supporting Nigeria’s top talents with training grants.”
“His contributions are deeply woven into the fabric of Nigerian sports, and his absence will be profoundly felt. Our thoughts are with his family and the good people of Kano State,” Olopade added.
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Uriah Rennie, the first Black referee in the Premier League, has died aged 65, the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association said on Sunday.
Jamaican-born Rennie, who grew up in Sheffield, made history in 1997 when he refereed a Premier League match between Derby County and Wimbledon. He went on to officiate in over 300 games – including 175 in England’s top flight.
“As the first Black referee in the Premier League, Uriah was a pioneering trailblazer whose legacy will live on, continuing to inspire future generations,” the Premier League said in a statement on Monday.
Rennie retired in 2008, and 15 years passed before another Black official took charge of a Premier League game, Sam Allison refereeing Sheffield United against Luton Town in 2023.
In April, Rennie told the BBC he was learning to walk again after being left paralysed from the waist down by a rare condition.
“Incredibly sad to hear of the passing of referee Uriah Rennie. A pioneer, trailblazer and a bloody good ref,” former England and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore wrote on social media.
-Reuters
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After former Nigerian captain and football coach, Christian Chukwu, another death has been recorded in the Nigerian sports scene. This follows the death in the ring of Segun Olarenwaju in Ghana.
Boxing icon Obisia Nwankpa, widely known as “Golden Gloves,” has died at the age of 75. He passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
Nwankpa was a former Olympian, as well as an All-Africa Games and Commonwealth gold medallist. He was also a national coach. Nwankpa was a towering figure in African boxing for over four decades.
He represented Nigeria at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He claimed multiple titles as a professional. Later, he coached Nigeria’s Olympic boxing teams in 2004 and 2008. Nwankpa, who had been battling dementia in recent years, made a final public appearance in September 2024, visibly ailing.
President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Rafiu Ladipo, described the loss as a “big blow.” He called for Nwankpa to be immortalised. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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Manuel Caceres, the drum-pounding Spanish football superfan known worldwide as “Manolo el del Bombo”, died on Thursday at the age of 76, silencing the rhythmic heartbeat that had accompanied Spanish football for over four decades.
With his trademark oversized Basque beret and red number 12 shirt, Caceres became as much a fixture at Spanish matches as the players themselves – a percussive national treasure whose relentless drumming provided La Roja’s unofficial soundtrack.
“My aim is to retire after 12 World Cups, which will make me 77, if Spain qualify for all of them. I’ll be there even if I have to go with a walking stick,” the Spanish fan told Reuters at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
His love affair with the team began when he first travelled abroad to watch Spain play in Cyprus in 1979. The 1982 World Cup on home soil transformed him from a passionate supporter into a cultural phenomenon, with his drum becoming inextricably linked to the Spanish footballing identity.
Caceres ultimately fell two tournaments short of his ambitious goal, attending a total of 10 World Cups but missing the 2022 showpiece in Qatar. His final appearance came at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium during the Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands in March.
“I’ve given up everything for football – my businesses and everything – but I’m still alive. I’m happy, I can follow Spain wherever I go. What more could I ask for?” he told Reuters at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Such was his fame that the Spanish federation covered his travel and accommodation during the showpiece in Russia, recognising a man whose celebrity often rivalled the players’ themselves.
“One of our most loyal fans has passed away, someone who was always with us through thick and thin. We know you’ll keep rocking our hearts. Rest in peace, Manolo,” the Spanish team wrote on X.
Caceres, who ran a bar opposite the Mestalla stadium for more than 30 years, made big personal and financial sacrifices in service to what he called the great passion of his life: his national team.
-Reuters
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