The presidential candidate of the Accord Party in the 2023 elections, Prof. Christopher Imumolen, has given out scholarship worth N276million to 138 indigent students who qualified for Nigeria Secondary School Flag Football League (NSSFFL) put together by Nigeria America Football Association (NAFA).
The competition, which was opened to all secondary schools in Nigeria, started June, 2021 with so many schools until the best four emerged at the finals.
Green Spring Schools male and female teams emerged as winners in the tournament, followed by Baptist Academy Boys. Other schools, who collected awards include; Girls Senior High School Agege, Oshodi High School, Keke Senior High School, among others.
Speaking at the Scholarship Award presentation ceremony in Lagos, Imumolen said that sport and education are very important to any society, even as he advised the students to take their academics serious by engaging in extra curricula activities.
“Sport and education is key to us, today Nigeria is doing very poor in sport, that we cannot even qualify for world cup. Nigeria’s name has soared higher in the past because of sports especially in 1994 Atlanta. Nigeria is known for sport and entertainment but we are not focusing and supporting these young ones. So, personally what we are doing is to help these ones realise their vision and their passion in the sporting industry.
“They should take academics serious and engage in extra curricula activities, parents should encourage their children to be engaged in sports, there is more financial reward in talent industry than knowledge industry, when we walk together, we would build a better Nigeria together.
“This tournament, known as the Nigeria Secondary School Flagoff Football Leaque (NSSFFL) put together by the Nigeria America Football Association (NAFA) started last year June, a competition for all the Nigerian secondary schools. The people you are seeing today are the finalists who are the winners, there were screenings until it got to the best four. We want to show so much support in sports and academics..
We are just partner to NAFA, the body that organises this with the Ministry of Education and Sports Commission in Lagos. For us we are crowning the effort by supporting the winners by giving them scholarships.
“We are open to partner with other sports, a lot of people would do well if they get the necessary support they need to do well, we are calling out to other Nigerians to join hands lets support the young ones,” Imumolen said.
Also, executive chairman of Lagos State Sport Commission, Mr. Shola Ayepekun, said it was imperative to invest on the children.
Ayepekun, who was represented by Director, School Sports, Mrs. Oluyomi Oluwasanmi, said: “I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to emulate such gestures so as to impact the Nigerian children who are the leaders of the tomorrow, so that the country could be a better place to live in the future.”