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?The Kaduna State Government has appealed to the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) to maintain? Kaduna as?venue for the hosting of?Super Eagles World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers.
The 2014 World Cup and 2013 second leg African Cup of Nations qualifiers are scheduled for June 3 and June 17 in Nigeria between the Eagles and Namibia and Rwanda, respectively.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NFA officials last week inspected some stadia across the country, including the Ahmadu Bello Stadium?Kaduna and the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.
The inspection was to ascertain which of the stadia met the standard for the hosting of the two qualifiers.
Nazifi Mohammed, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, said in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna that the state was safe and ready to host the two matches.
The statement, signed by his Media Assistant, Abdulrahman Tonga, said that Gov. Patrick Yakowa was?interested in the successful hosting of the matches.
According to the statement, the governor has ordered security agencies to ensure the safety of lives and property.
?“The recent bomb blast in the state will not affect the hosting of the games; the issue of security is national and not peculiar to the state.
“The state's Police Command and other security agencies will ensure maximum security before, during and after the matches.
?“I want to assure Nigerians that Kaduna State is safe for hosting the matches and the State Government is interested in the successful hosting of the games.
“The governor has been briefed on the development and he has ordered that all necessary steps should be taken for staging hitch-free matches,” the statement said.
The statement added that it was not the first time that the state would host matches of such magnitude with live and property well protected during and after the games.
It added that local clubs in the states were?playing in the ongoing Nigeria Premier League, the Nigeria National League and the Nationwide League without?difficulties. (NAN)