The True Facts You Don’t Know About MTN Football Scholar

MTN Football Scholar is a youth programme aimed at discovering talents who can combine active football and education at the tertiary level within a scholarship scheme. The project, which is open to students within the age bracket of 14 and 18 year, is a platform for the discovery, nurture and exposure of budding soccer talents who will subsequently enjoy access to scholarship opportunities to soccer oriented universities in the United States and linkages with other international soccer academies. The programme initiated in 2011, enters its third season this year with trials conducted in five centres across Nigeria; namely, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin City, Akure, Abuja and Lagos.  Selected participants from these centres have proceeded to the Academy where they get intensive football and academic training for a period of one month. The month-long training prepares students for the SAT examinations and training under top Nigerian national team personnel and coaches from top American soccer academies. Those who succeed in crossing at this stage would play a final football competition in the watchful eyes of international soccer scouts to select top winners. From here, they will proceed to the second Academy, in August which will focus mainly on academics. The students will receive intensive training on mathematics and English, in preparation for the main SAT exams.  Skeletal lessons on football will also be received at the academy. The programme will run for approximately 4 weeks. The maiden edition in 2011 was an outstanding success. Today we have Nigerian youngsters who are efficiently combining education with soccer, in topmost Universities and Colleges in the United States. Richard Ochefije, who is currently at the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut, Abdusalam Oganla-Adbusalam, studying in Knox College in Illinois for a degree in Economics, Anthony Amolo, Berkshire School, in a preparatory academy in Massachusetts and Ifeanyi Edemba who is already at Knox College, studying for a degree in Conservation and the Natural Sciences.

Meanwhile, in the season 2 of the programme, eight lucky participants are already on their ways to study abroad, Oyeniyi Adebare, a-2011-graduate of the International Sports Academy, Waasinmi, Ogun State, where he was both the Senior Prefect and Football Captain has currently secured admission into Skidmore College, New York, USA, Precious Ozoh, from Government Secondary School, Aso Pada, Nassarawa State will also be attending Holderness School in the US, while. Kehinde Sanni from Apex Unique International College Akure, Ondo State and Sampson Isaac, from King’s College, Lagos, have been accredited for Masters School New York, USA, respectively.

It is no longer news that the initiative has continued to gain nationwide accolades, speaking at the press conference to usher in the third season of the project; a scholar and prolific ex-soccer star himself; Chief Segun Odegbami explained how extending education alongside soccer to young talents has been his vision. According to him, this is the best way to ensure that the future crop of Nigerian players and those who couldn’t make a living through the game have some other careers to fall back on. He further mentioned that, ‘the MTN Football Scholar is the only initiative in Africa that combines education with soccer among all youth development initiatives, across the continent.’ 

In the same vein another ex-international at the event, Mutiu Adepoju, ‘the head master’, cited examples of his team-mates, in his playing days in Spain, who are now Medical Doctors and Lawyers. He admonished the select soccer stars, Sampson Isaac, Ekeh-Shadrach Chizoma, Oyeniyi Adebare and Sefia Tega Joel, who have already secured admissions into colleges in the United States and Canada, to represent the nation well and keep their focus. Meanwhile, parents and guardians have embraced the opportunity as an avenue to fulfil for their wards to fulfil their dreams; amidst great expectation and excitement from the hundreds of aspiring young footballers who trooped to Akure Township Stadium for selections into the soccer academy on Thursday and Friday, the elder ones came to give their backups. One of the parents, a 61-year old grandmother, Abosede Adesida, who came with her grandson, Staley Olamide Adesida, a 14-year-old SS 1 Student of Oyemekun Grammar School Akure, said that, he came with boy when she understood that, the initiative will provide an opportunity to combine schooling with football career. More so, a chance to go and study abroad under MTN’s scholarship is offer too much to be neglected. “We you notice a boy as brilliant as Olamide, and at the same time who is well acknowledged in the school that he plays good football, I think a right thinking parent will support such a boy to get an opportunity such as the one provided by MTN”. She declared. Also in Benin City centre of the trials, the Edo State Secretary of Youths Sports Federation Of Nigeria (YSFON) Prince Harrison Iyonoma commended the efforts of MTN Football Scholar in discovering educated Footballers in the country. While speaking at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin during the ongoing trials for the MTN Football Scholar Academy, the football administrator gave kudos to MTN for taking the initiative of organizing a football academy scheme that will go a long way in developing not only the age-grade football but the entire national football. He also encouraged other multi nationals to emulate MTN.

According to Harrison he said “we must give kudos to MTN for this laudable land mark, the programme is a developmental programme aimed at picking the kids from the grassroots, nurture them so that they can act as replacements for our aging players. And it will also give them what to fall back on after their football careers”. He said. Today, MTN Football Scholar remains an unprecedented platform where aspiring football have hope of combing football playing expertise with academics. This is done under the sponsorship of the telecommunications giants, MTN, with the candidates ably shown evidence of good football skills and academic capabilities.

Mike Aremu Relocates To London

Rumour has it that the award-winning saxophonist, Mike Aremu has finally relocated to London with wife and children. His last album ‘Coat of Many Colour’, we gathered was launched recently in London. Though, he promised to launch it in Nigeria for his fans as he now shuttles between Nigeria and London. No doubt, the instrumentalist is one of the foremost saxophonists that we have in Nigeria today but he feels he needs to break more ground, according to a close source.

#entertainment @shokishombolo

LIBERATION CITY REMEMBERS LATE ADAMU ALHERI KUNKU , TO EMPOWER HIS WIDOW

The mountain of liberation and miracle ministry aka liberation city will hold a special remembering service for late Adamu Alheri a corporal serving with mopol 20 in ikeja Lagos that was shot dead on march 10 2012,while on official duty with the general overseer of liberation city, he was killed while trying to stop some kidnappers who abducted Dr Chris Okafor on his way to Benin from Awka  Anambra State. The church and his family has since buried the late officer in his state Taraba, the church too has since continued to assist the widow and children , just few days ago the general overseer of liberation city Dr Chris Okafor hosted the widow to know what she feels like doing as a means of livelihood and to be able to take adequate care of her children, the widow Rosemary Alheri said she will like to invest on food stuff business, the man of God promised to fund the business and also promised that before the years runs to an end a good accommodation will also be provided for her and her children. Meanwhile there will be a special remembering service for late Adamu Alheri on Sunday June 30th at liberation city, the occasion will also be used to empowered the widow to begin her business.It will be recalled that the death of officer Adamu Alheri generated lots of controversy as some group lamented that if Adamu Alheri was truly killed while some kidnappers wanted to abduct Dr Chris Okafor, why can’t people see the remain of the late officer, we believe this pictures will finally put to rest such allegations. 

Midnight Crew Finally Split! …Release Separate Singles

Everything that has a beginning surely has an end. This time around, it is the group of four singers; Odunayo Olamide, Patricia Ohuwaje King, Michael Olayinka and Olugbenga Ademola Oyebola; they are on the verge of losing what they’ve built for several years. Following their success since inception, you will quite agree with the fact that the group is making waves in the Gospel music circle. Their albums, always a must for every home, contain songs that have turned national anthems of some sort. But what astonished many was when Mike decided to drop his own separate singles titled ‘Morire’ and ‘Patricia’ also followed his footstep when she dropped ‘Eze’. According to inside sources, these are the two active musicians among the group and the other two have one or two things they are doing outside music. We scooped that Gbenga is working with a local government council in Lagos while Odunayo works as a teacher in one of the new generation private schools. Prior to that, it’s affecting some of the things they do as a group and they think the best way is for them to have separate singles in order to be able to perform without waiting for any member of the group. Meanwhile, the break-up has not been ascertained as the group just returned from America. But the America Tour, we learnt should have lasted longer than this but due to the fact that two among the four members are working with different employers and they are not ready to lose their jobs at the moment, so they had to cut short the American Tour and stay for sometime before they proceed. The group is still intact as the two singles dropped by Mike and Path were released under the group company, Midnight Crew Limited. It’s not a secret thing. They were all aware of the latest development. 

Wasiu Ayinde In Studio For Aregbesola 2nd Term Campaign

For the past three weeks now, the Olu Aye of Fuji music, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal popularly known as KWAM 1 has been working tediously to put final touches to his latest songs. We learnt the songs are meant to glorify the good works and reasons to support the incumbent governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for 2nd term ticket in the forthcoming election. KWAM 1 as he’s fondly called is using EKO MIX STUDIO for the recording of the new songs according to an inside source. It will also interest you to know that, the FUJI musician whose  children are following his footstep in the musical world did the same thing for Action Congress of Nigeria leader and the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he was the governor of Lagos State and he also repeated the same thing for his successor, Gov. Raji Fashola (SAN).

Aduke Penkele In Police Net

The fast-rising juju cum Gospel musician, Aduke Penkele is presently in police custody. According to information made available to Music Entertainment, the sonorous voice singer was arrested last week Saturday after she failed to appear at a gig she was billed to perform somewhere around Lagos. We scooped the sexy but slim songbird was paid two weeks before the event but failed to keep to her own side of the agreement. On the day of the event, we gathered she was nowhere to be found. This infuriated the organizer that after so much publicity that Aduke Penkele will be on the band stand, she refused to show up. With that, the organizers reported the case to Area G Command Zone in Ogba Aguda, Lagos where she was ordered to be arrested immediately. On getting there, she explained what happened and begged the DPO in charge of the case that she will refund their money but it has to be in installment.