A five-man delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) arrived in Abuja on Thursday to begin the first inspection of facilities proposed by Nigeria to host the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly and the annual CAF Awards ceremony.
The inspection follows the approval granted two months ago by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Nigeria to host the two flagship CAF events after a request by CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe during the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
The CAF delegation is led by the organisation’s Head of Safety and Security, Dr. Christian Emeruwa, and includes Mohammed Bakeer (Technology), Inas Ahmed (Travel and Accommodation), Salah Mostafa (Transport), and Hervé Dassoundo (Branding).
On Friday, the team inspected facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The delegation is scheduled to visit the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the proposed venue for the General Assembly, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly is the confederation’s biggest non-competition event. Nigeria has previously hosted the Congress on two occasions, in 1980 and 2009.
On Sunday, the delegation will travel to Lagos to inspect the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, the proposed venue for the CAF Awards, as well as the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Eko Hotel & Suites.
The CAF officials are being accompanied by a five-man Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) team comprising Dr. Ademola Olajire, Director of Media and Communications; Alizor Chuks, Director of Marketing; Barnabas Joro, Head of Security; Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, Chief Protocol Officer; and Tasiu Riskuwa Shehu, Head of ICT.
