Nigerian football administrator Samson Adamu has been confirmed as the substantive General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), becoming the first Nigerian to occupy the position in the organisation’s 70-year history.

The confirmation was announced on Thursday, with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) congratulating Adamu on his appointment.

The NFF’s acting general secretary, Emmanuel Ikpeme, described the development as a significant moment for Nigerian football administration and expressed confidence in Adamu’s ability to excel in the role.

“This is, indeed, very good news. I am so happy for Samson Adamu on his confirmation, and I know he is going to make Nigeria and Africa proud,” Ikpeme said.

“The NFF is delighted with this appointment, and we will give him all the necessary support as a member association under CAF. We wish him tremendous success in the job,” Ikpeme added.

Adamu joined CAF, the continent’s football governing body headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, as Director of Competitions before becoming Director of Tournaments and Events.

He was appointed acting general secretary on March 29 following the resignation of his predecessor, Veron Mosengo-Omba, a Swiss-Congolese football administrator.

Adamu holds a FIFA Master’s degree in the management, law and humanities of sport. He began his career in football administration by establishing the now-defunct Copa Lagos beach soccer tournament in the early 2010s.