Ex-Jersey FA president becomes Nigerian citizen after 26-year search for roots

For over 20 years, Ricky Weir searched for his Nigerian roots. This journey was personal, filled with questions, hard work, and emotional moments.

Now, the former president of the Jersey Football Association can proudly say he is a Nigerian citizen.

The Scottish-born football leader, philanthropist, and author just got his Nigerian passport. This marks the end of a 26-year quest to find the origins of his late father, who was born in Nigeria.

Mr Weir, who started the Jersey to Africa Football Foundation, was in Lagos last week to receive an award and continue his work in grassroots football. But this trip meant much more to him than just football.

“I’m almost more thrilled to get my Nigerian passport than my British passport, which was a right by birth,” Weir told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive interview.

“To think that a journey that started over 26 years ago would end with me holding a Nigerian passport based on my father’s birthplace, it’s something nobody, including myself, could have imagined.”

His journey is different from many Africans who seek opportunities and citizenship in other countries. For Weir, it was not about money. It was about reconnecting with a part of his identity that he had missed for most of his life.

Born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father, Weir never knew his dad, who passed away before he was born. His mother faced a lot of pressure as an unmarried woman in the 1960s and gave him up for adoption shortly after he was born.

Raised by his adoptive parents in Scotland, Weir said he waited to search for his real family to respect the parents who raised him.

“I never wanted my adopted parents to feel they were somehow not enough,” he explained. “My real parents were the people who raised me.”

Eventually, his search led him to discover his father’s Nigerian roots and connect with family members and communities linked to his heritage.

Football played a big role in his journey.

Weir was a talented striker in his playing days. He scored over 50 goals in a season and played more than 1,000 matches before moving into football administration. He later became president of the Jersey Football Association and started charitable projects using football to help social development in Africa.

His bond with Nigeria has grown in recent years. This was his fifth visit to the country. He has worked with Walking Football programs and grassroots projects, including the Five Stars League in Abuja.

Weir helped introduce Walking Football to Nigeria in 2020. He expressed happiness with the progress made since, such as forming league competitions and creating women’s teams.

Now that he has a Nigerian passport, Weir plans to spend more time in Nigeria.

“The biggest thing is that I can come back whenever I want,” he said. “I don’t have to think about visas or costs anymore. It allows me to embrace the country more, spend time with family, and potentially shift more of my football development work to Nigeria.”

After 14 years of charity work mostly in Kenya, Weir believes the next part of his African journey may increasingly happen in the land of his father.