A five-member delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has commenced an inspection of facilities in Nigeria ahead of the proposed hosting of the 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.
The CAF team arrived in Abuja on Thursday to evaluate venues and supporting infrastructure for the two major events after President Bola Tinubu approved Nigeria’s bid to host them.
The bid followed a request by CAF President Patrice Motsepe during the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, two months ago.
The inspection team is led by CAF Head of Safety and Security, Dr Christian Emeruwa, and includes Mohammed Bakeer, who is responsible for technology; Inas Ahmed, travel and accommodation; Salah Mostafa, transport; and Hervé Dassoundo, branding.
The officials inspected the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday as part of their assessment.
They are expected to visit the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, proposed as the venue for the CAF Congress, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly is the organisation’s biggest non-competition event and Nigeria has previously hosted it twice, in 1980 and 2009.
The delegation will move to Lagos on Sunday for further inspections, including the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, which has been 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 (NFF) delegation led by Director of Media and Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire.
Other members of the NFF team include Director of Marketing Alizor Chuks, Head of Security Barnabas Joro, Chief Protocol Officer Emmanuel Ayanbunmi and Head of ICT Tasiu Riskuwa Shehu.
The inspection is expected to help CAF determine Nigeria’s readiness to successfully host the high-profile continental football events.
