The organisers of the forthcoming Eko International Cup have confirmed that three teams from outside Nigeria will take part in the highly anticipated pre-season football tournament.
SKI-Hi Entertainment in collaboration with the Lagos State Government is staging the competition expected to feature a total of eight teams.
On Monday, 23 June, 2025, the organisers after consultations with the originally invited teams confirmed that five teams from the Nigeria Professional Football League will take part in the tournament.
They are: Remo Stars, Ikorodu City, Shooting Stars, Enyimba of Aba and one other team expected to be unveiled soon. The three teams expected from other parts of the continent are: FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, Heart of Oak of Ghana and FC Dadje of Republic of Benin.
The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said there have been so much work on the logistics of the participating teams.
Obruthe said: ”It is not as easy as we look at it ordinarily. Each of the teams have plans but the template we put before them is also a progressive one aimed at boosting their preparations for the new season.
“Many other factors will have to be considered but we are happy to have three teams coming from outside Nigeria while our original four teams in the NPFL have signified intention to take part. The new addition in Nigeria will be confirmed officially later this week.
“We are excited about the progress so far and we intend to create more awareness in the coming days with the help of our sponsors and partners respectively.”
The pre-season football tournament which runs between July 6 and 13 takes place at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, formerly Onikan Stadium with two matches to be played on a daily basis
Apart from telecommunications giants, MTN, Bigi Drinks and Lagos State Government are also partners of the project.
Edo Gov Dissolves Bendel Insurance Board, Appoints APC Chair Tenebe as New Chairman
In a move aimed at revitalizing one of Nigeria’s oldest football institutions, the Edo State Sports Commission has dissolved the Board of Bendel Insurance Football Club and appointed Emperor Jarret Tenebe as the club’s new Chairman.
The announcement, made by the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, signals a new era for the Benin-based side ahead of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
Tenebe, who is also the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), replaces Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu—recently elevated to the position of Director General of the National Institute for Sports (NIS) by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking through his media aide, Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele described the shake-up as part of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s broader reforms to modernize Edo’s sporting landscape.
“This decision is in line with the broader objective to revamp Edo’s sports infrastructure. With Emperor Tenebe’s wealth of experience in football management, we are confident he will take the club to greater heights,” Enabulele said.
He added that the move underscores Governor Okpebholo’s passion for using sports to drive youth empowerment and grassroots development.
Tenebe, in his reaction, expressed gratitude for the opportunity and vowed to build on the club’s recent successes, including a top-five NPFL finish last season.
“I am well-versed in football administration and always strive for excellence. We will hit the ground running and consolidate on the progress made so far,” Tenebe assured.
An official unveiling ceremony for Tenebe has been scheduled for next week, with further details expected to be announced soon.
The leadership shake-up is widely seen as a strategic bid to position Bendel Insurance for domestic and continental ambitions as the new NPFL season approaches.
Ex-Kwara Gov Dies At 84
A former senator and ex-Governor of Kwara State, Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to family sources who spoke to The Cable, said Adebayo passed away early in the morning of Wednesday, 25 June, 2025.
Born on February 24, 1941, in the Igbaja community of Kwara State, Adebayo served as governor of the state in 1983.
He also served as Minister of Communications from 2003 to 2006 and was elected as a Senator in 1979 on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
Adebayo was a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which played a key role in the pro-democracy movement to restore the mandate given to MKO Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In 1993, Adebayo was offered a ministerial position in the Sani Abacha junta but declined.
On May 31, 1995, a bomb exploded in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.
Following the incident, the police arrested and interrogated Adebayo along with other NADECO members.
In 1996, he went into brief exile in Canada after fleeing the country, as the military junta was reportedly closing in on him for a second time.
Source: The Cable
Scores Die As Soldiers, Bandits Exchange Gunfire In Kaduna, Niger
Dozens of bandits and some military personnel lost their lives following a gun battle in Niger and Kaduna States.
Nigerian Army Headquarters, which made disclosure made the disclosure in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, 25 June, 2025, said the operations were carried out in Kwanar Dutse Mairiga and Boka, Niger State, and Aungwan Turai, Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.
The daredevil terrorists had launched an unprovoked attack on the aforementioned areas, the statement said, just as it also added that in response to the attacks, “land and air component troops launched several counter-attacks that eliminated scores of bandits in the encounters.
“Sadly, some gallant warriors paid the supreme price in the day-long battles, while four wounded in-action troops are currently receiving treatment for their gunshot wounds. Additional updates later,” the statement said.
