"I never left Plato Academy," says NAPS Football Coach
By Miskilu Aminat
NAPS PRESS: Please introduce yourself.
Jide: I am Akinjide Adebowale, a 400 level student of this department. I am currently the head coach of Plato Academy.
NAPS PRESS: What is your view of NAPS sport team in general?
Jide: I am glad with the state of sports in the department at the moment. If my memory serves me right, before I entered as a fresher into philosophy, there was no Plato female team. But now, there’s a female team structure which is a great development. The female team moved from just training only when there are tournaments to having a constant training system, even more now, with two coaches in charge of them (which I am not among as I am just in charge of the male team). However, I think sports in NAPS can get better as I think the faculty wants to introduce other sporting activities like athletics and other ball and board games in the Dean’s sporting events. I think just like the organized Plato male and female team, there can also be an organized volleyball, table tennis, athletics team et cetera.
NAPS PRESS: What challenges are Plato Academy facing? What are the key things needing improvement?
Jide: A lot of important players have graduated and there's the financial burden of running the team; those are the two challenges that the team currently faces. The solutions are to find a way to maximize the players that we have on ground and utilize them to the best of their abilities and also mask their weaknesses. It will be a bit hard because I just took over but it will get better with time. Also, for the second challenge, we need to get financial aid from both past and present NAPSITES. They shouldn’t just leave us to this thing. We all own the team. Those are the two important challenges that I can think of for now.
NAPS PRESS: To what do you think Plato sport team owes its success?
Jide: I am convinced that apart from the talents that get into this department yearly, what the team owes its success to is proper planning and oneness that has been in existence since I knew Plato Academy. That we are unarguably the best team in the faculty is not an accident, it is the work we put in. Last session and further back, while Philosophy was doing real training, other departments were playing sets. So yeah, the team’s success over the years is to its disciplined approach which I think can even get better.
NAPS PRESS: News has it that you just returned back to the team after a long hiatus; please share your reason for leaving.
Jide: Well, I never left the team. I just was never consistent because of some few things that I got my hands into and that was when I was a player. When I knew I could not be 100 percent present in the team, I gave way a bit. But now that I am back as the coach, I am here fully to give my undivided attention and energy to the team.
NAPS PRESS: Now that you are fully back, what should the Plato Academy expect from you?
Jide: They should expect good football with a lot of winnings. A lot of players left the team but we still have top guys in our arsenal, so no excuses. We are not ready to relent; myself and my players are ready to deliver. We want to win everything.
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