The Principal of Igbobi College Lagos, Venerable Joseph Oyewale Adediji, has called for a structured scholarship system to strengthen the pathway from school football to Nigeria’s age-grade national teams.
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Speaking in an exclusive interview on the programme Inside Naija Sports, Adediji acknowledged the rapid growth of football academies across Nigeria, noting that the proliferation of academies reflects a gap that currently exists in the traditional school sports development system.
He believes schools can play a much greater role in identifying and nurturing young footballers, as was common in previous generations when talented school players could progress directly into national age-grade teams.
According to Adediji, one of the biggest challenges confronting youth sports development today is the absence of a properly structured pathway connecting school competitions with elite football.
“One of the major challenges we are facing in this generation is the lack of proper structure,” he said.
He argued that winning school competitions at the U-10 and U-15 levels should not be viewed primarily as an opportunity to distribute cash prizes.
Instead, the achievements of outstanding young athletes should be used as a springboard for their long-term development.
Adediji proposed that exceptional performers should be rewarded with educational scholarships to higher institutions, allowing them to continue their academic journey while receiving proper training and development in their chosen sporting disciplines.
“I believe that when U-10 and U-15 players win different competitions, the focus should not necessarily be on monetary rewards.
Instead, outstanding players should be offered scholarships to higher institutions where they can continue their education while being properly developed in their respective sports.”
The proposal reflects his broader argument that education and sports should work together rather than operate as separate pathways.
Under such a model, talented footballers could remain within the education system while benefiting from structured coaching, competition and mentorship.
This could provide a sustainable alternative to the increasingly academy-driven route currently followed by many aspiring young players.
Adediji believes the approach could help restore the role schools once played as major talent-identification centres for Nigerian football.
Rather than forcing young athletes to choose between education and sporting ambitions, a properly designed scholarship system could allow both to develop simultaneously.
For Adediji, rebuilding Nigeria’s grassroots football structure requires investment, planning and a clear pathway from school competitions to elite football.
And with the right structure in place, the next generation of national-team stars could once again emerge directly from Nigeria’s schools.
