FOSLA Academy is a renowned secondary school in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria, that has been able to successfully combine football and academics simultaneously. Before I go further to unravel the great achievements of this honorable institution, Let me take you down the memory lane.
This idea of combining football and academics in a dual system was originally conceived and implemented by the proprietor of this noble academy, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi in 2010. The project started with the proprietor offering humanitarian services, but with a dream to build more for the benefit of the people. It began my picking young boys and girls from Kogi, Nasarawa and FCT with the necessary skills to become footballers, and giving them a platform where these skills can be developed, sharpened and projected out to the world for the benefits of his country Nigeria. In line with this, the children were also given a formal secondary school education like every other secondary school in the country. These children are often selected from among the poor, whose parents cannot afford a good formal education for their child, and the ability to project the talents of their children to the World. Children who fall under this category are picked and offered scholarship to FOSLA Academy by the proprietor.
Over the years, the school has recorded huge successes in not just football, but in academics as well. The school is the best in the country in terms of football, as they are the unbeaten champions of principal cup in Nigeria, and has also represented the country for the first time since its history in the just concluded World schools Football competition in Morocco, which they performed extremely well and qualified Nigeria for China 2024 with two slots. The school has also gained grounds by providing the students with football certification certificates, and by sending out fantastic footballers to the World, to more accommodating platforms where these footballers can make ends meet in football, while still uplifting the name and Image of the school and country, and also achieving their academic dreams.
The school has also recorded very good achievements in academics as well. In the just concluded West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams, the students came out with flying colors, flushing all their subjects with credits. These academic excellence can also be seen in their many predecessors in Nassarawa State University, under the sponsorship of the proprietor with good academic grades, topping their classes and being at the fore front of the Student Union Government (SUG).
Despite these outstanding standing achievements in both sides of the dual process, there has also been a limitation in terms of funding this good work. The proprietor is the only man funding this humanitarian work, and this has often not been enough to accommodate all the brilliant ideas of staff of the academy. Due to this major setback, the school has not grown to its peak in terms of first class facilities and ware-fare.
To annihilate this major difficulty, the proprietor has opened the flow to Nigerians to come in and sponsor this project for the betterment of the country and its citizens who benefits from this philanthropic gesture. With this major decision, it is speculated to bring about a turn of activities, as students will be exposed to more sophisticated facilities in both football and academics, a first class ware-fare package for staff, and an avenue where this students can reach their index as talented footballers. Also, this will float the globe with wonderful footballers from Nigeria, thereby promoting the Nigerian league and selling out Nigeria as the best footballers in the World.
By Itam Patrick Okoi
