Guardian

ASIDE reading their books for good grades in their new schools, telecommunications outfit, MTN, has also charged the young footballers going to United States and Canadian schools to be good ambassadors of Nigeria.

The footballers are winners of the MTN Football Scholars programme, which aims at empowering young skillful Nigerians to study in good universities overseas as well as hone their football talents under tested coaches.

Speaking during a send forth dinner organised for the successful candidates, who are leaving for various US and Canadian Universities this September at the Victoria Crown Hotel, in Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, MTN’s Senior Manager, Consumer Marketing, Saidat Mohammed-Lawal, said, “at MTN, we realise that people have passions for different things, that is why we support music and sports.

“With MTN Football Scholar we have decided to support the passion of teeming Nigerian youths, that is why we are supporting their education careers through their passion, which is football’’.

“In the first season we sent out four football scholars, now we are sending out eight, and we look forward to send out more in the ongoing Season three.

“Only thing I will like to tell our brothers that are going out now is to be good ambassadors of themselves, families, the brand and the nation as a whole.”

Meanwhile, the winners of the scholarships to the foreign have continued to express their gratitude to MTN for the opportunities.

Oyeniyi Adebare, a graduate of International College, Wasinmi, Ogun State, who has secured admission to Skidmore College in the US and Precious Ozoh, from Government Secondary School, Aso Pada, Nassarawa, who has also secured admission to Holderness School, also in the United States, said words will never be enough to express their feelings at the moment.

The trials for the ongoing Season three ended at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Lagos, yesterday with 40 picked from the nationwide trials in the six cities of Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin, Akure, Abuja and Lagos slugging it out for placement in the programme.