Otunba Tade Adegboyega Azeez, the immediate past President of the Nigeria Football Referees’ Association (NFRA), is dead.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Sources confirmed the passing of the respected football administrator, who was widely acknowledged for his dedicated service to the nation’s round leather game.
“Otunba Azeez was reported to have given up the ghost at about 2.45pm on Friday, 25th April 2025, after a brief illness,” NFF statement said.
Avuncular, vibrant, dignified and gifted with people skills, the 63- year- old was an eminent stakeholder in Nigeria football, and continued to contribute immensely to the game even after leaving office as NRA President, by accepting to be chairman of the top-of-the-range off-season football tournament, ValueJet Cup competition.
Azeez was a top referee in his days before retirement, and then became the leader of the Referees’ body, during which he midwifed transformative programmes that have firmly positioned the NRA to meet up with the demands of the technological era.
He was also in the thick of things during the remarkable Seyi Akinwunmi era in the Lagos State Football Association, which positively re-defined football development, improvement and sustainability in the State.
Tade Azeez remained a key pillar of the Nigeria Referees’ Association throughout his lifetime.
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