Ibrahim Galadima, a towering figure in Nigerian football administration and former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has died following a protracted illness, leaving behind a legacy that spans decades of service to sports development in Nigeria.

His death was confirmed on Saturday by Kano Pillars Football Club, one of the institutions he helped bring into existence. The club announced that his Janazah prayer is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. at Masallacin Waje in the Fagge Local Government Area of Kano.

Born on June 14, 1951, Galadima was identified by Kano Pillars as one of the founding figures behind the club’s establishment in 1991 — a contribution that alone would have secured his place in Nigerian football history.

He served as NFF President from 2002 to 2006, a tenure that ended in the wake of the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, with Sani Lulu succeeding him at the helm of the federation.

Galadima’s administrative career, however, stretched well beyond his time at the NFF. He served as chairman of the Kano State Football Association from 1977 to 1979 and later led the Kano State Sports Council as executive chairman between 1981 and 1983. In 1984, he was appointed to the caretaker committee of the National Sports Commission, and the following year was elected first vice-president of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, a position he held until 1987.

He also played a prominent role in Nigeria’s hosting of the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, serving as head of the Kano sub-committee that coordinated the northern city’s participation in the tournament.

Tributes have begun to pour in from across the Nigerian sports community in recognition of a man whose contributions to football administration helped shape the institutional foundations of the game in Nigeria.