Nigeria delegation storms Addis Ababa Saturday morning

Nigeria’s delegation to Sunday’s 2014 FIFA World Cup final elimination
fixture, first leg encounter between the Super Eagles and Walya
Antelopes of Ethiopia will arrive in Addis Ababa on Saturday morning.

NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu disclosed on Thursday that
the Boeing 787 Jetliner, which has been chartered for the trip, will
depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 1.40am on
Saturday and touch down at the Addis Ababa Airport minutes after 8am,
Ethiopian time. Ethiopia is two hours ahead of Nigeria.

The delegation will comprise of 23 players, four coaches, eight
backroom staff, Members of the NFF Executive Committee, officials of
the National Sports Commission, Members of the National Assembly, NFF
Management and some Secretariat Staff, stakeholders, media
representatives and members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club,
all totalling 263 persons.

NFF’s advance party of two persons, in Addis Ababa since Tuesday, has
been working assiduously with officials of the Nigeria Embassy in
Ethiopia to tidy up all arrangements for the delegation.

On Thursday, the advance party met with officials of the Ethiopian
Football Federation to verify reports that the EFF was determined to
stop Nigerian supporters from going into the stadium with their drums
and trumpets on match day. EFF officials denied this.

A member of the advance party said on Thursday: “Addis Ababa is quite
busy in readiness for the meeting of African Heads of State and
Government, and major hotels are fully booked. But the NFF made
arrangements much earlier and all members of the delegation will be
catered for.”

Accommodation, transportation, security and match ticket details have
been resolved and the NFF expects no hitch as the Eagles confront
their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations victims in the Antelopes’ backyard.