Afcon 2023: Governor Sanwo-Olu set to host Super Eagles in send off dinner

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu will be hosting the Super Eagles in a special sent forth dinner in his state before the team departs for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.

In a statement,  NFF media officer, Ademola Olajire, confirmed that the Super Eagles will arrive in Lagos aboard a chartered aircraft on Tuesday evening majorly for the glamourous event.

All invited players are currently in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, for a one-week training camp that will end on Tuesday when the team will return to Lagos for a send-forth party before jetting to the host country the next day for the tournament proper.

The NFF chairman, Musa Gusau, and the minister of sports development, John Owan-Enoh, will be the host and co-host of the dinner event as Governor Sanwo-Olu champions it.

Other governors from the country such as, Douye Diri (Bayelsa State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa State), and Godwin Obaseki (Edo State) have been invited to the event.

Other guests include prominent figures from the Lagos State Government, a few lawmakers, members of the NFF Executive Committee, former Nigeria captain Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, leading entertainers, well-known people, and influencers from sports and entertainment industry.

The Nigeria delegates will then take off from Lagos on Wednesday morning for an 80-minute trip to Abidjan, in time for their first game against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, 14 January, at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.

“The NFF and the Nigeria Football Fraternity are grateful to Governor Sanwo-Olu and his administration for agreeing to host 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 statement reads.