… as Oluwo recommends the founder for national award
The Lanre Adeleke Sports Academy, Ile-Ogbo on Friday honoured of of the Nigeria’s football icons, the legendary Mathematical Segun Odegbami on his 70th birthday.
This is just as the academy recruited 42 young children in addition to the 58 already earlier admitted on scholarship basis.
Celebrating the birthday at the academy in Ile-Ogbo, the headquarters of Ayedire Local Government Area of Osun State, the founder, Engr Lanre Adeleke, noted that the Academy was poised to produce the likes of Odegbami in football and other successful future athletes.
He said “we are admitting 42 this year to make it 100 in honour of Chief Segun Odegbami who is the lead consultant on the project.
“The plan is to catch them young and make sure that they receive the best of training and expose them to the global standard in the area of sport – football, basketball and handball.
He commended Odegbami who is one of the consultants of the academy for putting up the curriculum and giving advice on how to set up the facility.
Speaking, Odegbami described the event as one of the happiest day of his life, saying it was the best in his lifetime.
He said, “I didn’t want to celebrate 70th because I don’t want people to see me as old person. This is the best birthday of my life. I didn’t ask for it. I will never forget for the rest of my life. The number of traditional rulers sitting here marvel me.
“Today because is one of the happiest of days of my life because this is totally unexpected, totally unsolicited and the magnitude of the depth of love that have been shown to me today is unprecedented.”
He commended Adeleke for the surprise birthday and for putting up the Academy for the less privileged and paying for their accommodation.
Also, a super eagle star, Mutiu Adepoju (aka headmaster), described Odegbami as a leader and mentor in football who he looked up to while growing up.
The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, who spoke on behalf of other 13 monarchs at the event, said Adeleke deserved a national award for his contribution to the sports in Nigeria.
The monarch described the academy as an ivy league, saying the founder, Engr. Adeleke should be honoured by the federal government with national award.
“On merit, Engr. Abel Lanre Adeleke deserves a national award. He is a patriotic Nigerian building both mental and physical assets of the nation. He established an international Sports Academy here in Iwoland, therein, discovering and promoting talents of the less privileged. Those children,with special sporting talents, many of whose parents cannot afford education were discovered to benefit scholarship with free boarding and feeding.”
