Lagos welcomes Africa to Eko beach

Starting Tuesday December the 13th, Nigeria will host Africa as the 2016 Beach Soccer Cup of Nations kicks-off in Lagos. Hosts Nigeria will look to wrestle the crown from African champions Madagascar and pick a ticket for the 2017 Beach Soccer World Cup to be held in Barbados.
The competition will start on the 13th of November through to the 18th as the best seven Beach Soccer teams on the continent slug it out with hosts Nigeria for the African title.
Coach Audu Adamu Ejors squad have been in residential camping in Badagry as they prepare to mount a challenge for the Africa crown.
Beach Soccer poster boy Abu Azeez has come out of international retirement to help the squad while regular faces like Victor Tale, Emmanuel Owheferia, Bartholomew Ibenegbu and the veteran Ogbonnaya Okemmiri. The Sand Eagles are in Group A of the competition alongside Ghana, Egypt and old nemesis the Ivory Coast in what is regarded as the toughest group.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Government  over the weekend recruited and trained volunteers and stewards for the African event.
The transparent recruitment process and training of the volunteers and the stewards were organised by the organising committee put in place by the host government. The committee is co-headed by the Special Adviser on Sports to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Deji Tinubu and Mr. Kweku Tandor, former Director of Sports, Lagos State Sports Council.
Over 200 applicants submitted expression of interest for the volunteer jobs out of which 100 were selected at an exercise conducted at the Media Gallery and the mainbowl of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The successful volunteers, who comprised graduates of Nigerian universities and polytechnics, secondary school leavers and others were trained on discipline, etiquettes, interpersonal relationship, job description and first aid.
According to the spokesperson of the volunteer sub-committee set up by the host city working committee, Uthman Okunnu, the successful volunteers are majorly to perform volunteering services during the games and to support in making the hosting of the championship a success.
In a related development, to complement the work of security personnel, the security sub-committee for the game also recruited 70 stewards mostly to work at designated car parks reserved for the competition.
For the steward services, 251 applicants were screened during the screening exercise that took place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.