James Johnson, formerly known as Iyabo Abade when playing for the Nigerian Super Falcons from 1997 to 2000, has reached out to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) seeking financial assistance for a corrective surgery amounting to ₦69.7 million.
This surgery is crucial for Johnson, a confirmed hermaphrodite, to potentially bear children.
Johnson, who underwent a sex change operation in 2004 in the United States with the support of then Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, has faced considerable challenges due to his condition.
The need for the surgery arose after previous attempts to address his hermaphroditism—an anomaly featuring both male and female organs, which is rare in humans but more common in animals—were unsuccessful, leading to his exclusion from the women’s national team.
Speaking to Punch, Johnson expressed his deep desire to complete the final stages of his medical transition to fulfil his dream of starting a family.
He disclosed that he had written to the NFF last year requesting financial support for the procedure but has yet to receive a response.
Johnson said, “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 titled ‘Appeal for financial assistance to enable me to finalise my surgery of transforming from an intersex person (male and female organs – hermaphrodite) to full-fledged man so that I can father a child’, and addressed to the NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, Johnson said he needed the money to undergo the final two phases of surgery that would make him a full man.
The letter dated April 4, 2023, 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).”
The letter to Gusau added, “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, which 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.”