As the season finale of brighter footballer project, an initiative of SportsVision and Pet-Bamok, in partnership with Dufil Group, maker of Indomie Noodles ends tomorrow, RUTH OLUROUNBI takes a look at how these organisations are ensuring that Nigerian children stay in school.
We will take care of their education, we will make sure that they stay in school and learn. We will make sure that they come out well grounded, and be able to stand on their own in future and become positive influences in their own niches via our various mentorship and guidance and counseling programmes.”
That was Mr Deji Tinubu, lead coordinator of the Brighter Footballer project, which aims to “groom a new generation of footballers/sportsmen and women who would be better prepared for life during and after their competitive years.”
The season finale of the new edition of the brighter footballer project, which began mid January, ends tomorrow, February 5, 2015, with three school children are already enjoying scholarships from the project, while some more are expected to enjoy same benefits, beginning from tomorrow, with fve to 10 pupils in Primary 5 and 6 are expected to be selected for scholarship every year.
“Hopefully, every year, five to 10 pupils between Primary 5 and 6 will be selected via the FAB 5 competition,” Tinubu explained to the Nigerian Tribune.
The dream, according to him, “is to see in the next few years a generation of eloquent, educated, confident and sound sportsmen and women who know that they have a fulfilling life awaiting them after the end of their competitive careers.”
Last year, the Nigerian Tribune exclusively reported that the project, christened “the brighter footballer” provides scholarships and mentorship to children from public primary schools and with less privileged backgrounds who have shown interests in playing football in the future.
The project, which picks school children from inner city schools, tries to give to the neglected children in these areas who have got talent, Mr Deji Tinubu, lead project coordinator, said.
Tinubu, who is passionate about Nigerian sports, says it is particularly sad that a lot of Nigerian stars of years ago are currently living from hand to mouth, without the option of something to fall back on.
Realising that “this situation will continue if nothing is done to address it,” SportsVision, in partnership with Pet-Bamok and Co and backing of Dufil Group makers of Indomie Instant noodles, embarked on this project.
Aside scholarship provision, there is the plan that once grown into professional footballers, the beneficiaries will be properly mentored, with the aim of reducing the high number of “cases of players signing bad deals and contracts because they don’t know better, a result of lack of proper education, grooming and mentoring.”
By educating young children interested in pursuing football as a career, project coordinators are hopeful that they will be able to instill confidence in to these young people so they are better equipped to rationalise situations and opportunities.
“We will give them education, mentor them, counsel and groom them, and at the same time encourage them to prosecute their football potential. If they make the grade, we are looking at taking care of their education and if they decide not to pursue a career in football, they can get an employment in any industry of their choice via our corporate backers and partners, learn a trade or be academically sound at the very least,” Tinubu said.
Thanks to corporate organisations like Dufil Group, Elan Waters and Super Sports, beneficiaries from the project are also sponsored through university, while job placements will be provided for those who would rather not pursue a career in football on or off the pitch eventually.
Given the large number of less privileged school children in Nigeria, the project coordinators are realistic enough to admit that they are not saying they are going to change the lives of all the less privileged kids in the country, but then, they are starting a process that hopefully, other people can join in “so that at the end of the day, we have footballers who are well tutored and groomed, have degrees, trades, are exposed and confident, who can make reasonable decisions, who can stand on their own, who don’t necessarily have to fall into the routine of ‘I played for the country and the country must do something for me’ or ‘I played for the club and the club must employ me.’”
Be the first to comment