Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured that the state is prepared to host this year’s CAF Awards after a five-man team from the Confederation of African Football inspected the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, also known as the National Theatre, the ceremony’s designated venue.
The CAF team came to Nigeria last Thursday to assess the facilities proposed by the country to host the organisation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.
Dr Christian Emeruwa, a former NFF presidential aspirant and CAF Head of Safety and Security, leads the team. The delegation also comprises Mohammed Bakeer (Technology), Inas Ahmed (Travel and Accommodation), Salah Mostafa (Transport), and Hervé Dassoundo (Branding).
They were greeted by officials from the Lagos State Sports Commission, led by Director-General Lekan Fatodu, when they viewed the National Theatre on Monday.
Sanwo-Olu stated that the state was committed to ensuring that Lagos delivers 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 previously hosted the CAF Awards four times, with the most recent taking place in Lagos in January 2015.
While Abuja will host the CAF General Assembly on November 21, 2026, Lagos will be the site of the ceremony honouring the finest players and other notable performers in African football.
The CAF team assessed facilities at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Friday before heading to the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the Congress’s scheduled venue, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
The CAF team is accompanied on the inspection tour by a five-person NFF delegation consisting of 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.
At the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, two months ago, President Bola Tinubu accepted Nigeria’s hosting of the two key CAF events in response to a request from CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.
