MADUFORO FIRES UP ENYIMBA AHEAD ORIENTAL DERBY WITH RANGERS

The streets are buzzing, the stands are humming, and the legendary Oriental rivalry is set to ignite the Enyimba International Stadium as the People's Elephant host eternal foes, the Antelopes of Enugu, in a blockbuster NPFL Matchday 15 encounter this Sunday.

For decades, the Oriental Derby has stood as one of Nigeria’s fiercest football battles — a clash of pride, history, supremacy and identity. Enyimba, the most successful club in Nigerian league history, have traditionally held the upper hand over the Antelopes, boasting 9 wins in their last 18 top-flight meetings, while Rangers have managed just 3. The rest — tense, bruising stalemates decided by grit rather than flair.

This time, the spark comes from a familiar face on both sides of the divide: former Rangers and Heartland striker, now People’s Elephant hitman, Kingsley Maduforo ‘Shiba’.

Speaking after Enyimba’s final training session on Saturday, the enterprising forward delivered a rallying cry that has already begun to stir the blue side of the East.

"Come Sunday we are up against Rangers International and it will be a sweet game," Shiba began, a smile creeping across his face. "When two brothers fight, it’s always interesting, and we really appeal to our fans to continue to give us their maximum support and not to give up on us."

The forward, who knows the Rangers dressing room and their DNA inside out, admitted the team has taken lessons from the narrow loss in Ilorin.

"After the loss against Katsina United we have really fallen back to the drawing board to amend our lapses and push for the maximum points," he stressed.

"As a former Rangers player, I’m excited at the prospects of the encounter and I’m looking forward to giving my best if I’m picked."

For Enyimba fans, his most powerful message came in his passionate reassurance of the team’s season-long ambition:

"We are really going to give our best to try and get a continental ticket. It's not going to be easy but the league is a marathon. We will keep pushing until we get it right."

With interim gaffer Lawrence Ukaegbu set to welcome the dynamic Joseph Atule and the energetic Nwaorisa Onyebuchi back into the squad, the People’s Elephant will aim to reassert their dominance — the same dominance they displayed winning the pre-season Ifeanyi Ekwueme TICO-SELECT Tournament final… in Enugu, right under the noses of their rivals.

Sunday’s clash isn’t just another fixture, It’s tradition, It’s pride, It’s supremacy, It’s Enyimba vs Rangers — an eternal struggle written into the fabric of Nigerian football, And according to Shiba, the blue army must stand tall again.

On Sunday, the drums will roll. The fans will roar. And the Oriental Derby will once again be painted in the colours of passion, history and war.