If there was an iota of doubt in my mind about where my life was headed before last Thursday it evaporated in the whiff of the dust that rose from the red earth of Wasimi Orile thrown up by the feet of over 600 hundred people from the media, corporate organizations, the communities, a curious public and friends who had gathered to witness the events to mark the official opening of The International (Sports) Academy, TIA! But there never had been any doubts in my mind, only a few occasional lingering questions: how would it happen? Where would the funds come from? Will parents surrender their children? How long before it becomes reality? And so on.

Last Thursday, the answers were provided by the people that came to share in my dream, and to evaluate and appreciate the first tentative steps in an ambitious journey we had collectively embarked upon. What I had called people to come and see was but a minuscule of what would eventually become the complete academy. Two and a half years of toil, of sweat and blood, had produced the little that was to be presented to the Nigerian public. It was meant to serve only as an appetizer, a peep into the future and of the possibilities that lay ahead. But as I watched the reaction on people’s faces and expressions, they exceeded even my wildest expectations. In torrents, lavish words of praise, encouragement and appreciation flooded the venue becoming an elixir in my mind, casting away all fear (if there ever was one) and steadying the ship of our construction. It was most reassuring that everyone present thought we were on a steady course and that the dream to establish a unique institution that would provide a more robust foundation for boys and girls with talent and interest in sports, arts and leadership was now a reality!

From the various speeches rendered at the event it was clear that everyone was in agreement about the philosophy behind TIA that education is the key that opens the door to a successful life; that sport is a useful shortcut to power, fame and fortune in the 21st Century; that the combination of the two is ‘paradise’, and that TIA makes it possible for young boys and girls to eat their cake of life and still have it.

From my childhood I was aware of the reality of life-after-sports. There were too many stories and examples of abandoned heroes around us to warn the discerning and to prepare the wise not to end up consumed by the mirage of sports! I had the credentials and the foundation to have gone on to amass academic degrees and certificates, but so also was I exposed and sucked into the life of glamour, public adulation, fun, travel, and a little fortune! It was simply too irresistible to totally abandon, so I ended up playing ‘safe’ by doing a little of both. Those who knew me in secondary school and my passion for intellectual enquiry would find it hard to believe that my formal academic pursuits would be limited to a Polytechnic Higher diploma! I did not know any better. If I wanted to embrace the life and opportunities that my exceptional talent in football offered I had to ‘mortgage’ certain aspects of my academics, so I thought. It was a big mistake, but then I was lucky, having achieved just about enough to cushion the effect of whatever was to come as the price for my limited academic pursuits. Perhaps, like so many before and after me, I would have spent the rest of my life, bemoaning the consequences of my ignorance, of not seeing beyond the immediacy of the pyrrhic achievements that sports offered! Now that I know better, I owe it to all those gifted sports persons coming after me, sucked like me into the nectar of sports, tempted by the prospect of riches, fame and the glamorous life to abandon academics for sports, to guide and navigate them through the treacherous pitfalls, swamps and deep ravines, and to place them on terra firma – solid ground on which their future can be safely built!

Life after sports is no joke! It has bruised, battered and consumed many a once-celebrated life! I am an extremely lucky man, saved only by God’s grace. My duty now is to tell my story and give young boys and girls the information and opportunity to see into the future, to appreciate the challenges that lie ahead, and to show them how they can achieve their dreams without gambling away their lives!

That’s the motivation for establishing a sports school where life’s useful lessons will be taught. I have never had any doubt about what to do, which is to establish a great school that will produce sports champions and leaders of tomorrow. That’s what happened last Thursday. The International (Sports) Academy in the next few years, partnering with corporate Nigeria and ordinary Nigerians with a passion for education and sports, will grow to become the best senior secondary school with a sports bias in the world. The school shall provide our children and grandchildren the foundation and platform to launch their careers and their life of sports without the risk of ending up dregs of society and failures in life. I thank all those that have had, and all those that will have contributions to make in the fulfillment of that dream. Blessed be!

Special Gratitude

I thank His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Otunba Oyewale Fasawe, who represented him; Kabiyesi, Oba (Dr). Adewale Adedapo Tejuosho I, Osile Oke-Ona Egba; all my numerous friends led by Chairman of the event Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha; all the other legendary sports personalities; Chief Mrs. Titilayo Ajanaku, Iyalode Oke-Ona Egba and all the other traditional chiefs; representatives of corporate Nigeria particularly our corporate partners – FCMB, Indomie Noodles, Complete Communications, Team Nigeria, IGI, First Bank Plc, Nestle Nig. Plc, Cadbury Nig. Plc. I also thank the following individuals who have, without any prodding, made material and financial contribution to the school: Seyi Olofinjana, Deji Soyebi, Tony Akiotu, Nduka Irabor, Otunba Gadafi, Tunde Kelani, Captain Jide George, Dele Adeola, Tunji Bolu, and so on. I thank Abdulrahman Gimba, the immediate past Minister of Sports, who came in person and promised to build a mosque for the school. I thank all my friends in the media (local and international) for whom the event was organized that came and have brought unprecedented attention to the small project since then. I thank all those who came as well as those who will still come to see the wonders that God is doing in Wasimi Orile!

Thank You