I Need N69m To Father Children – Ex-Super Falcons Player Begs NFF, Nigerians

Former Nigerian international and Super Falcons player, Iyabo Abade, who is now a man, has begged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and well-meaning Nigerians to assist him with about N69.7 million to facilitate a corrective surgery that will enable him father children.

Iyabo, renamed James Johnson, was a confirmed hermaphrodite, and featured for the Super Falcons from 1997 to 2000. A hermaphrodite is a person or animal with both male and female organs. The abnormal feature, though common with animals, is a rare occurrence in human beings.

However, Johnson, then Iyabo, successfully underwent a sex change operation in the United States in 2004 facilitated by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as the serving Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The surgery was carried out after a series of failed attempts to correct the abnormality led to the player being dropped from the female national team

Fast forward to about 20 years later, Johnson (Iyabo) has revealed sending an SOS to the NFF last year seeking financial assistance to undergo the surgery but is yet to receive any positive response from the nation’s football governing body.

According to Johnson, currently 40-year-old, his dream of being a fulfilled man would come true if he could conclude the final stages of the surgery and become a proud father of children.

He told reporters that; “Anytime I think that I can’t father a child’ yet, I feel broken, that’s why I wrote to the federation for financial assistance. The NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau is a man with a listening ear and hopefully, through him, the federation can help me achieve my dream”.

In the letter addressed to the NFF President, Gusau and titled; “Appeal for financial assistance to enable me finalise my surgery of transforming from an inter sex person (male and female organs – hermaphrodite) to full fledged man so that I can father a child“, Johnson explained that the money is required to undergo the final two phases of surgery that would make him a full-fledged man.

Dated April 4, 2023, the said letter read; “My President, I am using this medium to passionately appeal to you for God and humanity sake, to use your good office to assist me financially to enable me travel to the United State of America where I did the 1 & 2 phase of surgery (Midway Hospital Medical Centre, Los Angeles) for the surgery and treatment of the 3rd and 4th phase of my transformation to a full fledge man so that I can father children.

“The total cost of the surgery and treatment is one hundred and sixty thousand dollar ($160,000) equivalent to sixty nine million, seven hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N69,750,000:00)” only.

The letter to Gusau further explained thus; “I was born hermaphrodite i.e both female and male organs and was brought up as a female. I love football and played very well, that led to my selection to play for the Super Falcons in 1997. During my days of playing, an issue ensued that led to a test, which confirmed that I am a hermaphrodite, 70% male and 30% female. This led to terminating my appointment as a female player.

“The NFA (Nigeria Football Association) instructed that I should go for sex corrective surgery. The then Minister of Federal Capital Territory Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in 2004 sponsored my trip to the United State of America to undergo the sex corrective surgery.

“I was told that I’m going to undergo four phases of surgery. The first and second phase was done and I was invited to join the Flying Eagles in camp in 2005. I was coached by Samson Siasia, but I was dropped due to overage.

“I was able to sign up with NEPA Football Club of Abuja, from there I signed for Plateau United of Jos. I later went on to sign up with Crown Football Club of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, where I was discriminated against and humiliated.”