By Uzor Odigbo
Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu will be the chief host of a special dinner organized by the Lagos State Government for the Super Eagles on Tuesday night.
This would be hours before the three-time champions are set to depart for Cote d’Ivoire to participate in the 34th Africa Cup of Nations finals starting this weekend.
Sports Development Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh will be co-host of the glamour event, to which Governors Douye Diri (Bayelsa State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa State) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo State) have been invited.
President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau is the host, with top officials of the Lagos State Government, a couple of parliamentarians and NFF Executive Committee members.
Also expected to be in attendance are representatives of NFF’s corporate partners and sponsors, few members of NFF Management, Chairman and Board of the Lagos State Football Association.
Others are respected football investor Hon. Kunle Soname, former Nigeria captain Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, leading artistes, top celebrities and influencers also to attend.
Vintage guests are the 25 players selected for Nigeria’s onslaught for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title, as well as their officials, who will all arrive in Lagos aboard a chartered aircraft on Tuesday evening.
NFF President Musa Gusau on Monday expressed the appreciation of the Football Federation to Governor Sanwo-Olu and his administration for their magnanimity.
‘The NFF and the Nigeria Football fraternity are grateful to Governor Sanwo-Olu and his administration for agreeing to host the team to the Send Forth ceremony.
‘It is an occasion to tell the players how much Nigerians will be supporting them at the Africa Cup of Nations Championship.
‘The Honourable Minister of Sports Development will deliver a message from Mr. President. We believe that the event, anchored on the Let’s Do It Again theme, will galvanise the team to go for a fourth continental title in Cote d’Ivoire.’
The Nigeria contingent to the 34th Africa Cup of Nations will depart Lagos on Wednesday morning for the 80-minute flight to Abidjan, where the team will compete in Group A against host nation Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
The delegation will be led by Chairman of NFF Technical and Development Committee, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa .