The new CAF secretary general, Samson Adamu, was received on Tuesday at the presidential palace in Abuja by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who tasked him with defending Nigeria’s interests within the confederation.
Nigeria’s vice-president received Samson Adamu on Tuesday, according to thisdaylive.com. The delegation was led by Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission, reports authorityngr.com.
Presented by thesun.ng as the first Nigerian to hold the post in the CAF’s 70-year history, Adamu received congratulations from President Bola Tinubu, conveyed by his vice-president. According to authorityngr.com, his mission is clear: to promote, protect and defend Nigeria’s interests within the confederation.
A country that has “earned its place”
Kashim Shettima backed his words with the credentials of Nigerian football, citing legends Rashidi Yekini, Austin Okocha and Finidi George as examples of the talent the country has produced, reports newsroundtheclock.com. “Our nation has earned its place in the world of sport. We have flown our flag in arenas where few expected us to work miracles, and we have made the impossible almost familiar, fundamentally because of the quality of our people,” said the vice-president, quoted by thisdaylive.com.
The vice-president also stressed the social reach of the beautiful game. “Football in particular is a force for unity in this country. Every time Nigeria plays, it tends to encompass all the other identities,” he said, according to thesun.ng.
Adamu’s roadmap
The message to the new secretary general was more direct. “The president is proud of you, Samson Adamu. Go and do a man’s job. Go and promote, protect, project and preserve the interest of the Nigerian nation. So Samson, I wish you all the best,” said Kashim Shettima, quoted by thesun.ng.
Those words were spoken as the delegation led by Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission, was received.
A first still to be confirmed
The unprecedented nature of the appointment is attested, among the sources in the file, only by thesun.ng, which presents it as a first in the CAF’s 70-year history.
The file specifies neither the date Adamu takes office nor the schedule of his forthcoming continental engagements.