Samson Adamu hailed as first Nigerian to become CAF secretary general

The Federal Government has congratulated Samson Adamu on his confirmation as the substantive Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), calling his appointment a landmark for Nigeria and evidence of its growing influence in international sports administration.

Vice-President Senator Kashim Shettima GCON made the remarks on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by Adamu to the Aso Rock President Villa in Abuja.

Adamu was accompanied by National Sports Commission chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko. NSC Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade, NFF Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, and senior officials from the NSC and the NFF were also present.

Shettima congratulated Adamu, saying his rise to the highest level of football administration in Africa demonstrated the quality of Nigerian professionals around the world.

Adamu joined CAF as Director of Competitions in 2018 and returned to Abuja on Tuesday to assess preparations for two of the organisation’s major events. The 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly will take place in Abuja on 21stNovember, while the 2026 CAF Awards are scheduled for Lagos on 10thDecember.

‘One of us’

Adamu met Dikko again on Wednesday at the NSC, where the chairman welcomed him as “one of us” and described him as an example of what can be achieved through tenacity, diligence, professionalism, commitment to self-development and integrity.

Dikko said Adamu’s appointment made him the first Nigerian in CAF’s 69-year history to hold the position. He said it reflected the capacity of Nigerians to succeed in international sports leadership and was earned through hard work, competence and dedication to the African game.

He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sports diplomacy, saying Nigeria was ready to host both the CAF Ordinary General Assembly and the CAF Awards ceremony.

According to Dikko, staging the events would deepen Nigeria’s relationship with CAF and provide economic opportunities in the hospitality, tourism and transport sectors. He added that the Federal Government had created a special budget line for international sports diplomacy to support Nigerians pursuing influential roles in global sports organisations.

Adamu thanked the NSC leadership for arranging his meeting with the Vice-President and for its continuing efforts to strengthen ties between Nigeria and CAF.

He said he was approaching the responsibility of Secretary General with humility, but believed his experience of working with three previous CAF secretaries general had prepared him to succeed.

“It’s a big responsibility and it’s not only towards Nigeria, my home country; it’s a responsibility towards the 54 member associations that we have in Africa.”

Adamu also urged young African sports professionals to remain committed to their careers. He said his work with the Nigeria Football Federation, the country’s domestic league and private sports ventures had helped shape his professional development.

Olopade described the appointment as a major achievement for Nigerian and African sport. After congratulating CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe and the organisation’s leadership, he said: “Africa, football has thrown up a great mind and the greatness of our football on the continent is assured.”

Adamu praised Nigeria’s preparations, including the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja and the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos.

His CAF delegation included Dr Christian Emeruwa, head of safety and security and project lead for the events, head of accounting operations Sadiq Turkson and head of procurement Lassi Abdoulaye.