Zaharaddeen Bello says he is in a happy mood after being selected for the Caf Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal by Nigeria head coach Samson Siasia.
The centre-back has steadily developed from the under-17 ranks through to the under-20s and feels the chance to feature at the tournament with the Nigerian under-23s will further help him in his learning curve.
"I am happy that I am part of this team, because it is another opportunity to play in another international competition. It has been a wonderful time working with the coach (Siasia) and we want to show what we can do when the competition starts this weekend," the defender told supersport.com on the eve of the start of the tournament in Senegal.
Nigeria start their quest to secure a place at the football event of the 2016 Olympics against Mali at the Stade Caroline Faye in M'Bour this Sunday.
Zaharaddeen is hoping that the Nigerian under-23s will start the tournament on a good note against Mali.
"It is good we start with a win," he said. "I hope we can do so (against Mali)."
The centre-back, who played for Kano Pillars in the second round of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), was part of his country's Under-20 team that finished as winners in the African Under-20 Championship in Senegal in March this year.