Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed confidence in the state’s preparedness to stage this year’s CAF Awards after a five-member delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspected the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, also known as the National Theatre, which has been selected as the venue for the event.
The CAF delegation arrived in Nigeria last Thursday to assess facilities proposed for hosting the organisation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and the annual CAF Awards ceremony.
The inspection team is headed by CAF’s Head of Safety and Security, Dr Christian Emeruwa, a former NFF presidential aspirant. Other members include Mohammed Bakeer (Technology), Inas Ahmed (Travel and Accommodation), Salah Mostafa (Transport), and Hervé Dassoundo (Branding).
Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission, led by Director-General Lekan Fatodu, welcomed the delegation during Monday’s inspection of the National Theatre.
Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed the state’s commitment to delivering a successful event.
“We guided them through the venue and gathered their feedback. Hosting an event of this scale means every single detail counts and our team is working hard behind the scenes to make sure we get it right,” the governor said in an X post on Monday.
“Lagos is ready and we look forward to putting on a brilliant show for African football.”
Nigeria has hosted the CAF Awards four times in the past, with Lagos serving as the venue for the last edition held in January 2015.
The 2026 CAF General Assembly is scheduled to take place in Abuja on November 21, while Lagos will host the awards ceremony celebrating Africa’s top footballers and other outstanding contributors to the game.
Before arriving in Lagos, the CAF delegation inspected facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday, followed by visits to the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the venue for the General Assembly, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
Accompanying the CAF officials throughout the inspection tour is a five-member delegation from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), comprising Director of Media and Communications Dr Ademola Olajire, Director of Marketing Alizor Chuks, Head of Security Barnabas Joro, Chief Protocol Officer Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, and Head of ICT Tasiu Riskuwa Shehu.
Nigeria secured the hosting rights for the two major CAF events two months ago during the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, after President Bola Tinubu approved the request made by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.
