A five-member delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has begun inspecting facilities in Nigeria ahead of the proposed hosting of the organisation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.
The team arrived in Abuja on Thursday to assess venues and supporting infrastructure for the two events after President Bola Tinubu approved Nigeria’s bid to host them following a request by CAF President Patrice Motsepe at the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, two months ago.
The inspection team is led by CAF’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).
The delegation inspected facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Friday. On Saturday, it is scheduled to assess the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, proposed as the venue for the CAF Congress, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.
The CAF Congress is the organisation’s largest non-competition event. Nigeria has hosted it only twice before, in 1980 and 2009.
The delegation will travel to Lagos on Sunday to inspect the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, proposed as the 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-member Nigeria Football Federation team led by Director of Media and Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, alongside Director of Marketing Alizor Chuks, Head of Security Barnabas Joro, Chief Protocol Officer Emmanuel Ayanbunmi and Head of ICT Tasiu Riskuwa Shehu.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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