A piercing question has emerged on how Nigeria can achieve global football glory in the distant future, either through focus on soccer academies or the grooming of talents in schools.
This comes at a point when some football gurus and fans remain divided over the recent influx of several players born abroad into the Super Eagles.
Gone are the days when talents were sourced at home, through the nooks and crannies of the country, with several young players going on to play for the national team even as teenagers.
Those were the day’s talents that were spotted early, as the stories of Femi and Segun Olukanmi, Paul Okoku, Taju and Tunde Disu, Henry Nwosu, Stephen Keshi, and others revealed.
However, it was instructive that the major source of talents back then was through intense and vibrant football activities in schools, as competitions like the Principal’s Cup proved to be very productive.
Sadly, that source and the production line have become dormant in recent times, thereby stalling the chances of Nigeria retaining a reservoir of talent.
It has also cut off the conduit pipe through which the under-15 and -17 teams (Baby Eagles and Golden Eaglets) could be fed regularly, thereby culminating in a dearth of home-grown quality for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria’s football technocrats, administrators, analysts, and other stakeholders have been charged to seek ways to address this piercing issue and cement a better future for the country.
Towards achieving a virile way out of the woods, though, the cogent question that keeps popping up is: Does Nigeria’s future football glory lie in schools or academies?
The proliferation of youth clubs and academies across the country seems to suggest that investing in such ventures is the best way out of the woods.
Academies in Jos, for instance, produced John Mikel Obi, Samuel Kalu, and Ahmed Musa, while Umar Sadiq and Moses Simon came through similar structures in Kaduna.
Other choice spots to look at in that direction include Warri, Benin City, Ilorin, Ibadan, and Lagos, but the critic is quick to point out that things are still not as rosy as they were when school football was the in-thing.
That issue again emerged on the front burner this past Tuesday in Lagos, when the students of Will-B Excellence Secondary School, Ikotun took on BFA Bright Star Football Academy of Ejigbo in a friendly match.
The encounter ended 3-0 in favor of BFA as if to suggest that they are among those that are dutifully providing the ideal source of future talent for Nigeria in the search for international football glory.
That point was buttressed by BFA’s chairman, Victor Nyang, who took delight in seeing his wards take apart the visiting students from the nearby students during the game at Iyana Ejigbo Playground.
He pointed out that his team, which was established in 1995, has produced some players now based abroad, led by Mudashiru Fagbeja, while their coach, Yusuf Ojeleye, also played overseas for some years.
On the other hand, the Alimosho local government chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Secondary Schools (NAPPSS) has set machinery in motion to prove otherwise.
This mission is what Will-B School has keyed into, as they prepare to engage in both senior and intermediate football categories, alongside other choice events, at the forthcoming Lagos State Private Schools Sports Festival.
Proprietor of the school, Elder William Folorunsho Olaoye, who is also the secretary-general of the Alimosho chapter of NAPPSS, opined the Super Eagles’ recent woes at the Africa Cup of Nations confirmed that Nigeria’s future football glory lies in various schools across the country.
Olaoye declared while addressing his football team, led by the captain of the side, Ayomide Adeyemi: “As you focus on your education, don’t forget the talent of football that God has given you.
“That talent can help you take your families out of poverty, turn your own life around forever and give you the golden opportunity of being a hero for Nigeria i
