Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured that the state is prepared to host the 2026 CAF Awards after a five-man team from the Confederation of African Football inspected the designated venue, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (also known as the National Theatre), according to The PUNCH.
The CAF team arrived in Nigeria last Thursday to assess the facilities the country proposed for hosting the organisation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and 2026 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).
Officials from the Lagos State Sports Commission, led by Director-General Lekan Fatodu, greeted them when they viewed the National Theatre on Monday.
Sanwo-Olu stated that the state is dedicated to ensuring that Lagos hosts a successful event.
In an X tweet shared on Monday, the Governor said, “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.”
“Lagos is ready and we look forward to putting on a brilliant show for African football.”
Backstory…
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 host the ceremony celebrating 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 inspecting the Congress’s scheduled venue, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
Recall that 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.
