It is one of the foremost secondary schools in Nigeria, one that has carved a niche all over Africa, and, next month, Corona Secondary School, Agbara, will host more than 300 youths at a unique sport fiesta with the theme Easter Soccer Camp.
It is being organised in collaboration with Headmaster Sports Academy Limited (HSAL), under the headship of former Super Eagles icon, Mutiu Adepoju. The collaboration, Daily Sun learnt, is to promote youth development and empowerment through education, inculcate high moral and ethical values in the students within and outside the classroom, and enrich the sport portfolios of all participating youths and students from within and outside the school environment.
The principal of Corona Secondary School (CSS), Agbara, Mrs. Chinedum Oluwadamilola, said the school was in the partnership because of the personality of Mr. Mutiu Adepoju.
Her words: “With all his accomplishments in football, he has remained as humble as a dove. He exhumes good values with a simple lifestyle. He has remained someone that is down-to-earth, that everyone can resonate with. As an embodiment of humility, he has demonstrated that you can achieve a lot without making a lot of noise about it. And his records are clean. This correlates with our school values and principles. Mutiu is one of a kind. To have spent so much time in top place football and there was never a time you hear anything scandalous about him, even as a rumour, it is commendable. And this is a typical example of a sport personality we can encourage our students to emulate. As much as we want to expose our children to football, we also want them to learn from someone who has those good values that we resonate with. And during the camping period, which is only open to youth between the ages of 10 and 17 years, there are going to be a lot of scouts coming around to watch these boys and, luckily, some of them could catch their interest. It is an open camp.
“Our students would be involved and interested students from other schools too. They are to register through our website, www.coronaschools.org or via www.headmaster.ng with a registration fee as low as N3,000 and participation fee of N75,000 only. The camp is in two batches. The first batch would open from 7th of April to 12th, while the second batch will be from 22nd of April to 27th of April, with a limited space of 300 students per batch.
“But the most amazing of all is that the camp is not just going to be all about football. They would be learning moral values, discipline, more on attitudinal disposition from the officials involved, how to get scholarships to European, Canadian and American universities through sport achievements, even as they interact with other ex-international footballers. So, it is an intensive sport clinic and many more.”
She explained that Corona was in partnership with the Headmaster Sports Academy to drive the school’s educational services in the area of sports: “We want to enrich the sports portfolio of our students with a view to giving them an edge when they are seeking admission through scholarship into foreign universities. We also want participants to acquire values such as teamwork, endurance and resilience, which they will find useful and applicable to life outside sports.”
Oluwadamilola said the school has affiliation with reputable associations.
“It is a member of the Council of British International Schools, member, Associate of International Schools in Africa (ASIS), and member, Association of International School Educators of Nigeria. It is the second school in West Africa to get the highly coveted accreditation of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
“In academics, our students have recorded successes in national and international examinations. Of significant note was the Standardised Aptitude Test (SAT) examinations, where two of our students scored the highest in the whole world,” she said.
In his address, the popular ex-Super Eagles midfielder and founder of Headmaster Sports Academy, Mr. Mutiu Adepoju, expressed delight to be associated with a programme centred on improving and invigorating the minds of children in sport, exposing them to positive values, ethics and the wonderful world of football.
Said he: “Our company, Headmaster Sports Academy Limited is a sport, education and tour planning organisation that is established in Nigeria to influence children in sports and other academic activities, both locally and internationally. The targeted age group of participants is between seven and 17 years and they are expected to be students.”
He also spoke on his mission for the April event: “The youth soccer camp is a section of HSAL, which is established to create the best football experience for children by providing a solid platform in pursuing their football career, providing professional coaches with the required equipment to train them in becoming the best locally and internationally.
“The benefits of this programme would include training by professional coaches, including myself and a host of others, vast exposure about the game, standard equipment, good training equipment, and chances to be scouted out by professional clubs.
“Football is an ever-growing and evolving platform, which has the interest of billions of people worldwide. It is our duty as parents and guardians to contribute and encourage our children in walking this path of greatness so that they can be among the stars.”
A member of the Youth Football Development Committee, Nigerian Football Federation, Mr. Dotun Coker, said: “The partnership is a landmark event. I am aware they have approached about 10 schools, and we are so delighted that Corona accepted to partner with Headmasters Sports Academy. Their values are in sync and in line with our youth football development policies as well.”
A parent, Hon. Justice Habeeb Abiru, said the collaboration would work to develop the students.
The school’s goalkeeper, Uchenna Dike, said the partnership was an opportunity for the students to improve on their football skills. He urged other students to be part of the camp.
For Corona’s sports teacher, Mr. Awuru Joel, the partnership is a step in the right direction towards inculcating sports in students at a very early age.