BY Remi Sulola
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, and Fatma Samoura, FIFA secretary-general, arrived in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, on Sunday.
They were accompanied by executive assistants Mattias Grafstrom and Veron Mosengo-Omba.
The world football governors were received on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Mohammed Sanusi, secretary-general; Seyi Akinwunmi, NFF 1st vice president; Shehu Dikko, 2nd vice president and other members of the NFF executive committee.
A 10-year old girl handed the 46-year-old multi-lingual Infantino a bouquet of flowers as the train emerged from the arrival hall, and a cultural troupe entertained in the foreground as Infantino and Samoura walked on the red carpet to waiting cars.
At the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Pinnick accompanied Infantino to the presidential suite for meetings between the FIFA president and the NFF board and with the visiting FA presidents from other African countries.
A total of 17 FA presidents from other African countries arrived in Nigeria on Saturday to join the NFF in receiving Infantino.
They are Kwesi Nyantakyi (Ghana), Lamin Kaba Bajo (The Gambia), Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone), Musa Bility (Liberia), Juneidi Basha Tilmo (Ethiopia), Nicholas Kithuku (Kenya), Andrew Chamanga (Zambia), Philip Chiyangwa (Zimbabwe), Frans Mbidi (Namibia), Chabur Goc Alei (South Sudan), Walter Nyamilandu (Malawi), Abdiqani Said Arab (Somalia), Vincent Nzamwita (Rwanda), Moses Magogo (Uganda), Jamal Malinzi (Tanzania), Augustin Senghor (Senegal) and Souleman Waberi (Djibouti).
On Monday, Infantino and Samoura, alongside Solomon Dalung, minister of youth and sports, Pinnick, chairmen of the senate and House sports committees and so on will pay a courtesy call on President Muhammadu Buhari at the villa.
Also on the programme for Monday is an U13 exhibition football match at the National Stadium, visit to the new NFF headquarters, and a business dinner with Nigeria’s political heavyweights and captains of industries.
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