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Kano Pillars forward, Bernard Ovoke, has urged his teammates to show determination in the matchday 36 encounter against Kun Khalifat FC.

The Sai Masu Gida will trade tackles with Kun Khalifat at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri on Sunday (today).

Ovoke, who will miss the encounter due to injury, has wished his teammates luck in the game.

“Injury may have ruled me out, but my heart is with the boys,” Ovoke stated in his message to the team ahead of Kun Khalifat clash.

“All the best to my Kano Pillars family in the next game. Fight for the badge, fight for each other.”

Kano Pillars must avoid defeat to help their push to avoid relegation.

NPFL: Ovoke urges Kano Pillars to fight for victory against Kun Khalifat

Napoli striker, Romelu Lukaku, is ready to leave the Serie A club after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

This was disclosed by football transfer expert, Nicolò Schira, in a post on X on Sunday.

According to Schira, Napoli have already asked for €10m to sell the Belgium international whose contract will expire in 2027.

He added that some clubs from “Turkey and Saudi have already shown interest in signing” the former Chelsea and Manchester United attacker.

This is coming after Napoli manager, Antonio Conte, insisted that he was disappointed with Lukaku.

Lukaku is facing disciplinary action for skipping Napoli’s training some weeks ago.

Serie A: Romelu Lukaku to leave Napoli after World Cup

Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the three senatorial districts of Kwara State have unanimously endorsed Dr. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB) as their preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The endorsement was announced on Sunday at a press conference in Ilorin, where the party elders cited Bolarinwa’s integrity, governance experience, and unifying leadership style as key factors distinguishing him from other aspirants.

Speaking on behalf of the group, former APC Legal Adviser, Alhaji Ladi Mustapha, said the decision followed a careful assessment of the qualities required to lead the state at a critical time.

“At this critical juncture in Kwara’s political evolution, we firmly believe that leadership must be entrusted to an individual with proven integrity, experience, capacity, and a unifying disposition,” Mustapha said. “After careful evaluation, Bolarinwa clearly stands out above other contenders for the office of Governor.”

Bolarinwa, a seasoned politician with over two decades of public service, began his career as a councillor before serving two terms as Chairman of Lagos Mainland Local Government. He later represented his constituency in the House of Representatives for two terms.

He also served as Chairman of the APC in Kwara State in 2018, a period the elders described as marked by resilience and effective management of party structures and resources.

The governorship aspirant formally declared his ambition on April 28, 2026, and has since submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to the APC national leadership.

Security remains a central theme of Bolarinwa’s campaign. He has raised concerns over worsening insecurity in parts of Kwara North and Kwara South, where banditry has displaced communities and deepened humanitarian challenges.

In addition to security, his policy priorities include healthcare, education, agriculture, and social welfare, which he described as critical to building a people-focused administration.

The elders also commended Bolarinwa’s broad-based appeal across the state, noting his relationships with traditional rulers, youth groups, professionals, and grassroots communities as evidence of his capacity for inclusive governance.

Reinforcing the endorsement, former Deputy Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Raphael Adetiba, emphasised the need for competence in leadership.

“What we need is a leader who can sustain the achievements of the present administration and continue delivering the dividends of democracy,” Adetiba said.

The elders concluded that Bolarinwa possesses the values of compassion, justice, and service, describing him as a leader committed to improving the lives of the people.

“Kwara deserves a leader who is tested, trusted, and connected to the people,” Mustapha added. “Bolarinwa embodies these qualities, and we are confident that under his leadership, the state will witness inclusive growth, strengthened unity, and sustainable development.”

Kwara APC Elders Endorse Bolarinwa For 2027 Governor is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State, weekend, promised to compensate Ogige Market traders whose shops were demolished about two years ago. The shops were demolished to make way for the Nsukka ultra-modern bus terminal, which has since become operational.

According to Mbah, the compensation was to stabilise the businesses of the affected traders. He said the demolition was to remodel the market.

In his words, “I was misunderstood when we went on to remodel Ogige Market. What was going through my mind was imagine what it would have looked like if we had transformed Ogbete Main Market with two modern terminals, the inter-state and intra-state, and we did nothing about Ogige Market or Nsukka! How would that have been interpreted? The people are the centrepiece of everything we do. It is not about self-aggrandisement, posturing or politics, but about the people. We saw Ogige Market as a keg of gunpowder. If we didn’t do anything, and we had an emergency in that market, you would have been asked if you had a government in the state.”

He said his administration had concluded plans to resettle the traders that were affected. “Some people might have been affected, but we have plans and programmes. We have just started doing some shops there to bring back those people that were affected. We are also going to give those directly affected some seed money to start their trade. The intervention was with the best intentions to prevent avoidable tragedies.”

He said his administration is all-inclusive, and “not interested in isolated development”. He described Enugu State as standing on “three stones, and we believe that every leg of the stone must be balanced”.

Meanwhile, Gov Mbah used the rally to inaugurate the construction of the 52.2km Nguru-Lejja- Aku-Akpakume Nze-Egede-Affa-Eke road. He pledged to transform the zone into an economic engine.

The people of the zone, comprising seven local government areas out of the 17 in the state, used the rally to endorse Gov Mbah and President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office.

The motion was moved by the House member representing Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Hon Dennis Agbo, and seconded by Hon Mark Obetta (Nsukka/Igboeze South Federal Constituency).

Hon Agbo listed the resumed funding and ongoing construction of the Oturkpo-Obollo Afor-9th Mile Enugu Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway, expedited work on the Enugu-Onitsha Federal Expressway, the successful concession of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, the creation of the South East Development Commission, and the recent promise to accelerate work on the Port Harcourt -Enugu rail line as part of the grounds for Tinubu’s endorsement.

He added that Tinubu had addressed the decades of marginalisation and exclusion suffered by the South East by appointing several sons of Enugu State and Nsukka into prominent positions Ndigbo were hitherto excluded from.

Quoting him, “Our brother, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, is the current Chief of the Air Staff. Major General Ifeanvi Okoro is the current Military Secretary (Army). Major General Valentine Okoro is the current Head of Training (Army). Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla (Rtd) is the immediate past Chief of the Naval Staff, while Mr Frank Mbah just retired as Deputy Inspector General of Police.”

The Deputy Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon Ezenta Ezeani, said Gov Mbah deserved the endorsement, having carried the zone along.

According to him, “Mbah has demonstrated uncommon leadership, improved security architecture, and massive infrastructural transformation across urban and rural communities.”

He listed some of the critical infrastructure of Mbah to include the ongoing dualisation of the Enugu-Opi Nsukka Road, upgrade of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) at Igbo-Eno, 102 of the 260 Smart Green Schools, and 102 of the 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres.

“These are not promises. These are visible, measurable realities. Leadership is not judged just by intentions, but by outcomes. And when a leader delivers, continuity becomes not just desirable, but necessary. Interrupting it now would be like abandoning a harvest halfway through the season,” he stated.

Gov Mbah To Compensate Traders Two Years After Shop Demolition is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, has carried out a precision airstrike on a terrorist enclave in Katsina State, destroying a key hideout and neutralising several fighters.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.

Ejodame said the operation was conducted on May 1 under the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA Sector 2, targeting a location within the Dan-Aji Forest in Faskari Local Government Area.

According to him, the target was a known logistics hub linked to a terrorist kingpin, Abasu Aiki, and his fighters operating across the Faskari, Kankara, and Funtua axis of Katsina State.

He noted that sustained and credible intelligence reports indicated renewed terrorist activities in the area, prompting the precision strike.

“NAF air assets identified armed terrorists on motorcycles alongside other fighters within the enclave and executed a swift and coordinated strike on the location and its support structures,” he said.

Ejodame added that Battle Damage Assessment confirmed that several terrorists were neutralised, while the logistics hub and associated structures were completely destroyed.

He further stated that the strike triggered explosions and widespread fires within the area, further degrading the operational capacity of the group.

According to him, the operation has significantly disrupted terrorist movement and resupply in the region.

He said the development highlights the Nigerian Air Force’s continued commitment to denying terrorists safe havens, dismantling their operational networks, and supporting ongoing efforts to restore peace and security in the North-West.

NAF airstrikes destroy terrorist hideout in Katsina

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has reacted to the resignation of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

In a statement posted on his verified X handle on Sunday, Bwala stated that he had already said it six months ago that Obi would not contest the 2027 presidential election under the ADC.

According to presidential spokesman, his statement has come to pass

“I said it 6 months ago that Obi will not run under ADC, now it is coming to fruition. Not a single tweet from Obi’s propagandists about what they complain about.

“If it were a topic on Bwala, Oseni Rufai would have made 20 tweets,” he wrote.

DAILY POST reports that Obi on Sunday announced his resignation from the ADC, citing internal battles and division as reasons.

2027: ‘I said it’ – Daniel Bwala reacts to Peter Obi’s defection from ADC

The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has urged northern leaders to unite and tackle insecurity in the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones of the country.

The association’s national president, Khalil Mohammed Bello, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to DAILY POST in Damaturu.

According to the statement, the prolonged crisis has resulted in the avoidable deaths of thousands of innocent Nigerians, the destruction of property worth trillions of naira, and the rustling of thousands of livestock.

“Particularly distressing is the incident reported by Amnesty International in Kwara State, where several pastoralists, including women and children, were allegedly arrested and detained at an NYSC orientation camp in one local government area.

“Reports indicate that over 150 detainees lost their lives due to disease and poor living conditions”, Bello said.

KACRAN’s National President stated that if northern leaders are truly committed and sincere, the region has the competence, capacity, and human capital to end insecurity in these two zones.

“The region is endowed with former Heads of State, eminent politicians, retired and serving generals, civil servants, revered traditional rulers, captains of industry, and other critical stakeholders.

“If they work together, they can identify the root causes of insecurity and resolve them through dialogue, lawful enforcement, and other constructive measures”, he said.

Bello also argued that there is no justification for the people of northern Nigeria to fold their arms and continue to blame President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a challenge that is largely internal and solvable by themselves, saying “ownership, not abdication, is required”.

“In KACRAN’s assessment, Mr President has taken commendable steps to address insecurity in the North, including appointing northerners as National Security Adviser and Ministers of Defence, and appropriating over N5 trillion to the Defence Ministry”, he said.

The KACRAN National President expressed optimism that northern leaders will, as a matter of urgency, act to restore peace, unity, love, and mutual respect among the people of the North-West, North-Central, and Nigeria at large.

KACRAN urges northern leaders to unite against rising insecurity

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, says the decision to rehabilitate the 90.9 kilometre Òṣogbo-Iwo-Ibadan road by the Federal Government would ease the transportation stress frequently experienced by travellers.

Oba Akanbi who commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the rehabilitation, noted that the project would enhance economic and commercial activities between Osun and Oyo states, while also improving connectivity across several communities.

The Oluwo spoke in an address delivered on behalf of all royal fathers from Osun West Senatorial District on Sunday in Iwo.

He lamented that prior to the Federal Government approval, the arterial road had been abandoned for almost 10 years.

The monarch, who insisted that the road had been shabbily done such that it began to show deficiencies as early as 1990, added that the newly created Osun State Government in 1991 engaged in patching exercises on the road to address the failure experienced by road users.

Oba Akanbi revealed that he personally took it upon himself to patch the road with cement after several entreaties to former President Muhammadu Buhari did not yield results.

“I started to patch the road with cement personally. The federal government led by late President Muhammadu Buhari said the road was a state road and therefore was not in his priority,” he said.

The monarch noted that traditional rulers across Osun West Senatorial District gathered at his palace to revisit the 49-year-old road history and to mark a new phase in its reconstruction.

He disclosed that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, had contacted him two months earlier, assuring that the Federal Government would take over and reconstruct the road.

Providing historical context, the monarch explained that “the road was originally divided into Ibadan-Iwo and Osogbo-Iwo segments, both awarded in 1977, with construction spanning multiple contractors before eventual inauguration in 1990.”

He stated that “the road began to deteriorate shortly after completion, prompting interventions by successive administrations, including efforts by former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, which he said yielded limited results.”

Oba Akanbi explained that commuters had resorted to alternative routes, spending up to three hours on journeys that should ordinarily take less than one hour due to the road’s poor condition.

He said, “Upon my enthronement, I cleared bushy sections, mobilised materials, and rehabilitated portions of the road daily for months to make it motorable again.”

Also speaking, the Akire of Ikire, Oba Abdulazeez Olatunbosun Adebamiji, described the project as a dividend of democracy, stating that traditional rulers could not afford to be ungrateful for the intervention.

Similarly, the Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Oba Olayinka Oyetunde Ishola said the rehabilitation followed sustained advocacy by royal fathers.

While praying for the success of the President Bola Tinubu administration, he expressed optimism that it would open up communities and would not be the last federal project in the district.

Oluwo hails Tinubu over rehabilitation of neglected Osogbo-Iwo-Ibadan road

Former Nigerian international, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, has questioned how Nigeria will win a World Cup when the country’s good players play for England and other countries.

Odemwingie stated this while calling on players of Nigerian descent born abroad to embrace their roots.

The former West Brom striker had dual heritage with Russia and Nigeria, but opted to represent Nigeria and made his debut for the Super Eagles back in 2002.

Speaking to Brila, the 43-year-old also suggested why some current players who have dual nationality opted to play for England and other European countries instead of Nigeria.

Recall that the likes of Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Tammy Abraham, Noni Madueke, and Michael Olise all decided to play for England and France, respectively, instead of Nigeria.

“Parents have a big role to play, but, you know, these days this generation pride is plenty they do shakara for Africa, that is another part of the problem,” Odemwingie said.

“I won’t judge anybody. Imagine one day the whole football squad of England will be Nigerians. It’s Nigerian genes that are showing themselves how Nigeria go win the World Cup when our talents go out to serve other people.

“One day we will have the opposite effect when people will want to play for Nigeria and bring the World Cup trophy home because these players are good players, they grew up in a better football environment, maybe tactically and technically sound.”

How will Nigeria win World Cup when our good players play for England’ – Odemwingie

The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has described the exit of former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi as another example of political opportunism ahead of the 2027 elections.

DAILY POST had reported that Obi announced his resignation on Sunday through his verified X account.

In his statement, the former Labour Party presidential candidate said the same Nigerian state and its agents that created what he described as unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party which forced his exit now appear to be finding their way into the ADC.

In a reaction to this on his X handle Onanuga Bayo said, “We told you so. The political nomad is on the move again. Ignore all those puerile reasons he gave in these illogical musings, a self-serving letter to his mob. Peter Obi is a politician made of jelly, an opportunistic fellow.

“He can’t fight Atiku or Amaechi for the ticket of ADC. He pursues the easy road, that will only lead him to doom, like in 2023. He always blames the government without doing a soul-searching of himself. Welcome, Peter to the 2027 race,” he stated.

2027: Political opportunist moves again – Onanuga mocks Obi for exiting ADC