Babayaro Partners PAWAS Academy On Pitch, Entrepreneurial Skills

Former Nigeria international Emmanuel Hyacinth Babayaro, has joined forces with PAWAS Academy to develop players’ on-pitch skills and sporting progression, as well as to equip them with entrepreneurial and non-sporting life skills.

LEADERSHIP reports that Babayaro, a former goalkeeper, is the elder brother of Celestine Babayaro, the ex-Nigeria international left-back who played for Chelsea, Newcastle United (both England), and Anderlecht (Belgium). Both brothers were part of Nigeria’s gold medal-winning team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the USA.

The partnership between Emmanuel Babayaro and PAWAS Academy was unveiled at the Football Elite Exposure Camp (ELEX 2026), which commenced last week in Jos, the Plateau State capital, and concluded in Abuja over the weekend.

The week-long camp featured morning technical sessions combined with evening elite exposure engagements led by Emmanuel Babayaro.

Speaking in Jos on Sunday about the programme’s concept, Rinji Kwarkas, the Academy’s Director and a seasoned development practitioner, highlighted the structural realities of global football. Kwarkas noted that while FIFA estimates approximately 250–300 million people actively play football at all levels, only a tiny fraction secure formal professional engagement.

This, he emphasised, underpins the necessity of their three-pillar model: sport, education, and life skills. He explained that the learning modules focused on academic continuity, career planning, and financial literacy to ensure young athletes are prepared for both sporting and non-sporting futures.

“Young sportsmen and athletes ought to be undergoing a blended model of training that combines on-pitch technical development with classroom-based sessions on career pathways. Vocational awareness and financial literacy should also be inculcated in their training to reflect a shift from traditional sports academy systems where sports is all that counts, towards a more holistic athlete preparation for contribution to society.”

Kwarkas further advised players to engage in other entrepreneurial aspects of football, such as learning how to make football boots, sew football jerseys, write football/sports stories, and conduct football analysis, among other skills related to the game beyond just playing on the pitch.

Coach Tanko Umar, the technical lead of PAWAS Academy, stressed that the presence of Emmanuel Babayaro, the former Nigeria international and coach of Emmanuel Babayaro Pioneers Football Club, brought a special layer of elite exposure rarely accessible at grassroots level. Umar stated that Babayaro’s sessions focused on game intelligence, positioning, and real-match decision-making under pressure. He added that, beyond the structured programme, the camp also provided sporting kits to the young athletes.

Camp Coordinator, Francis Emmanuel Tsaku, noted that they are broadly seeking to create well-rounded leaders, not just athletes.

According to Tsaku, the camp concluded with a friendly match at the Abacha Barracks Football Pitch in Abuja, which served as both a performance assessment and a public showcase for the players, attracting scouts and fans.