Clemens Westerhof began his Super Eagles duties with a strong hammer on goalkeeper Peter Rufai. On the way to a crucial Italia 1990 World Cup qualifier at away against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the Dutchman dropped the number one goalkeeper just before departure, from the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.

The Dutchman was determined to instil discipline in the national team and not going to allow any player walk into camp wearing airs. Rufai thus became the first casualty, with centre back, Sunday Eboigbe.

Unfortunately, the Lions defeated the Eagles 1-0 to end yet another Nigerian dream of a World Cup debut. That was how Aloy Agu became Westerhof’s favourite. In a strange stroke of luck, Agu, the choice goalkeeper, found himself on duty after David Ngodigha was injured.

The ill prepared sub, wore oversized boots, borrowed Taju Oyekanmi’s top since his jersey clashed with the colours of the opposition but still gave a good account of himself.

To teach the flamboyant and crowd favourite Rufai a lesson, Westerhof began to rely more on national league players, leaving out Europe based professionals. He tested the ground at the ECOWAS Cup in Bauchi in January 1990.

Agu captained the Eagles to win the trophy. At the Algeria 1990 Nations Cup, the manager left out the big boys. Rufai was not even given any consideration. Two other keepers, Christian Obi and Presthly Bethold were among the team that had only Andrew Uwe and Ademola Adesina coming from overseas.

After a 5-1 drubbing by Algeria in the opening game, the team romped into the grand finale, put up a good fight before losing to the hosts 1-0. A new team without Rufai had come to stay.

Dodo Mayana did not make it to Senegal 1992. The team beat Cameroon to win bronze. However, rather than sulk, Rufai took the shut out as a challenge. In the latter part of 1990, he made an attempt to come back.

To further humiliate him, Westerhof had taken the senior keeper to Cotonou as reserve to Agu in a Senegal 1992 African Nations Cup qualifier. Nigeria beat Benin Republic 1-0. After Senegal 1992, where the Eagles won bronze, the next major game for Rufai was on February 27, 1993, against Congo in Enugu in a USA 1994 World Cup qualifying duel.

He captained the team to a 2-0 win. Substitute goalie was Ike Shorunmu. In the first leg in Congo, Agu was in goal as the hosts fell 1-0 in Pointe Noire. Westerhof made Rufai irrelevant in other USA 1994 World Cup and Tunisia 1994 African Nations Cup qualifiers.

The trio of Wilfred Agbonavbare, Shorunmu and Ida Peterside were preferred. When it became obvious that the Eagles would be in Tunisia, Westerhof gave Rufai one last opportunity. It was against Ethiopia. Nigeria won 6-0 in Lagos.

The keeper scored the last goal through an 89 minute penalty, on a day Rashidi Yekini earned a hattrick. From that outing, the ‘Rejected Stone’ became a part pillar of the project. He was number one when the Eagles lifted the African Nations Cup in Tunis, thus becoming the first Nigerian goalkeeper to play in three African Nations Cup Championships.

Rufai captained Nigeria to the USA 1994 World Cup. No Nigerian had ever been there. He did it again in 1998, the first Eagle to keep in two consecutive Mundials. Vincent Enyeama equalled this record in 2014. Rufai never gave up. When things got rough, the keeper did not walk away. He stayed back, worked on himself and bounced back.

Past records did not get into his head. Here was a man who won African Nations Cup silver twice earlier, at Cote d’Ivoire 1984 and Maroc 1988 respectively. When Eagles bagged gold in 1994, Rufai made a heroic penalty shootout save against Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-finals.

Vintage Rufai, in 1984, he was in goal when Nigeria defeated Egypt 8-7 via penalties. Against Algeria in another semifinals sudden death, at Maroc 1988, the safe hands scored as Nigeria won 9-8. Rufai killed penalty kicks.

At Stationary Stores, thanks to their goalie, the first two rounds of the African Winners’ Cup in 1981 ended in triumph through penalties. Ahli Benghazi of Libya and Zimbabwe’s Caps United lost. Rufai also saved a penalty kick in the barren draw with eventual champions Union Douala.

That was the only time the Cameroonians did not score at home, in the series. Born in Lagos, to an Idimu Prince who later became Oba and a Rivers mother, Rufai changed to Peter Jaja after the woman took her son to Port Harcourt during the Civil War. The notorious Commander of the Federal Second Division, Murtala Mohammed, had Rufai as middle name and having relocated to the Garden City from Kaduna, a name change was necessary.

From Stores to Femo Scorpions, Rufai joined Dragons of Benin Republic before flying to Europe where he played in Belgium, Portugal, Holland and Spain respectively.

Sadly last Thursday on July 3, news broke that the popular goalkeeper had passed on aged 61. For a man that played 65 games for Nigeria and scored once, he deserves whatever honour comes his way, even posthumously. And one quality that stood him out was resilience.