Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured that the state is prepared to host this year’s CAF Awards after a five-member delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspected the proposed venue for the ceremony.
The CAF team visited the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, on Monday as part of an inspection tour of facilities being considered for Nigeria’s hosting of the organisation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.
The delegation, led by CAF Head of Safety and Security, Dr Christian Emeruwa, arrived in Nigeria last Thursday to assess venues and other infrastructure ahead of the events.
Other members of the team are Mohammed Bakeer, responsible for technology; Inas Ahmed, in charge of travel and accommodation; Salah Mostafa, transport coordinator; and Hervé Dassoundo, branding specialist.
The delegation was received by officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission, led by its Director-General, Lekan Fatodu, during the inspection of the National Theatre.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said the state was committed to delivering a successful event and ensuring that all necessary arrangements were completed to meet CAF’s standards.
“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 a post on X.
“Lagos is ready and we look forward to putting on a brilliant show for African football.”
Nigeria has previously hosted the CAF Awards on four occasions, with Lagos staging the most recent edition in January 2015.
While Abuja will host the CAF General Assembly on 21 November 2026, Lagos has been selected as the venue for the ceremony celebrating Africa’s best footballers and other outstanding contributors to the sport.
During the inspection tour, the CAF delegation earlier assessed facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday before visiting the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the proposed venue for the Congress, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
The CAF officials are being accompanied by a five-member delegation from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), 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.
The decision for Nigeria to host the two major CAF events was approved by President Bola Tinubu two months ago during the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, following a request from CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.
