Determined to promote learning in both academics and sports, Greensprings School has given full scholarships to three students for their outstanding performance in sports.
The students include Adesokan Omotolani, a student of Abesan Senior High School, Ipaja, Lagos; Popoola Olajide Emmanuel, a student of Segun Odegbami International College of Sports Academy, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Joy Ibegbu, a student of Excel College, Ejigbo, Lagos.
The three gifted young football talents outperformed over 200 other pupils at the just concluded 10th edition of the 2024 Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp held at Greensprings School, Lekki in Lagos.
Oluranti Bankole, head of Admissions of Greensprings School, said the management of the school is very excited about the successful completion of the Kanu Football camp.
Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony of the 2024 Greensprings Kanu Football Camp in Lagos, Bankole said the school was happy especially with the presentation of the scholarship to the first girl child since the commencement of the programme.
“We are all expecting great things from her and we are all going to support her. This is going to be the beginning of having many more girls play in professional football and coming through Kanu /Greensprings football camp,” she said.
On her assessment of the programme in the last 10 years, Bankole said Greensprings’ operations go beyond academics or sports to include developing a whole child through instilling the values to help them become successful.
“Our job is to groom children by giving them the tools they would need to be successful wherever they find themselves. Even when football is over, the lessons and things they learnt while at the school will help them become successful, knowing that whenever they tell their stories, Greensprings School would be a part of it,” Bankole said.
Earlier in her speech at the opening ceremony of the camp, Lai Koiki, executive director of Greensprings School said the 10th edition of the programme marks a significant milestone in the journey of promoting athleticism and sportsmanship.
Koiki said for the decade, Greensprings School in collaboration with Kanu Nwankwo, retired Super Eagle of Nigeria football star have witnessed remarkable improvement on the field, inspiring performances and unforgettable moments of triumph.
“Beyond the scores and victory, the football camp has served as a platform for fostering teamwork, discipline and character building among Nigerian youths,” she said.
She said the mission of the school is to promote life-long learning in an open and caring atmosphere that motivates students to be confident and responsible global citizens.
“The football camp serves the primary purpose of first providing young Nigerians with meaningful engagement beyond academics, allowing them to acquire skills that are valuable for their personal and professional development.
“The camp is further designed to develop the football skills of our youths recognising that the future success of football in Nigeria depends on nurturing talents from a very young age,” she said.
Koiki said the camp aligns with Greensprings’ commitment to outreach efforts aimed at shaping the character of young Nigerians by instilling values such as discipline, teamwork and resilience.
She said the aim is to prepare students to become well-rounded adults capable of navigating the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Responding after he emerged as the overall best player male in the camp, Adesokan Omotolani expressed joy for emerging as the winner and a recipient of a full scholarship.
Omotolani advised all the present and future campers to focus on their goals and pursue their dreams to become successful.
On his part, Popoola Olajide Emmanuel appreciated the management of Greensprings School for the opportunity given to him to pursue his education and football career at the school, promising to judiciously make use of the opportunity provided.
Popoola said he participated in the 2023 edition of the camp but was not selected for the scholarship, but when he came for the camp this year, he was determined and had to put in extra effort which had paid off.
Gafar Liameed, chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, lauded the school management for the camp and the award of three scholarships to the students.
Apart from the award of three scholarships, different awards were presented to the 11 best pupils based on their performance in the camp.
Since the inception of the camp, Greensprings School has awarded scholarships to 13 pupils, trained over 2,200 children and also trained over 220 coaches.
