The final day of the NPFL season – Sunday, May 24 – will bring the curtains down on one of the most exciting ever editions of the league as the title race, the two remaining teams to be relegated as well as the player to finish as Goal King will all be the decided then.

As things stand…

Title race goes down to the wire

Bottom-two Bayelsa Utd & Wikki relegated#NPFL26 pic.twitter.com/MzGhyj6OnA

— NPFL (@NigeriaPFL) May 10, 2026

Enugu Rangers remained top of the standings going into the final day of action after they beat Bendel Insurance 2-1 at home.

They now have 65 points from 37 matches, a point ahead of second-placed Rivers United, who won 3-2 Sunday to relegate Wikki Tourist to the second-tier NNL.

For the final day, Rangers will be away to fourth-placed Ikorodu City, who need to win to topple Shooting Stars, who sit in third place and hold the final continental ticket on offer in the competition.

Shooting Stars face a daunting trip to relegation-threatened Niger Tornadoes, who have to win and hope other results go their way for them to stay up in the top division.

Rivers United, on the other hand, will be expected to beat Katsina United at home.

A win for the Port Harcourt outfit and a draw or loss by Rangers will give coach Finidi George his second NPFL championship as a coach.

37 down

Just one more matchweek left in #NPFL26 pic.twitter.com/E7nL97A83w

— NPFL (@NigeriaPFL) May 10, 2026

The fight for survival will involve a lot more clubs as only eighth-placed Katsina United and the rest of the front runners are mathematically safe.

Besides Tornadoes, Warri Wolves are the other teams in the relegation zone with 46 points, same as three other struggling clubs – Remo Stars, Kun Khalifat and Enyimba.

Remo Stars are away to Bendel Insurance, Kun Khalifat home to already relegated Wikki Tourist, while Enyimba battle El Kanemi Warriors in front of their home fans.

El Kanemi Warriors, Plateau United and Kwara United are all on 47 points each and so remain in serious danger of going down on the final day of the campaign.

Plateau United know a home win over Kano Pillars will get them across the finish line, while Kwara United will be away to already relegated Bayelsa United.

It is still therefore too close to call the two other teams to be demoted to the second division.

It is also a close contest for the NPFL Goal King prize for the season.

Enugu Rangers striker Godwin Obaje leads the race with 14 goals, while Joseph Arumala (Ikorodu City) and Victor Mbaoma (Remo Stars) are both on 13 goals.

Michael Chidera of Enyimba is on 11 goals, while as many as five players have each scored 10 goals thus far.

The post ANALYSIS: It’s fight to finish on NPFL final day first appeared on Score Nigeria.

 The Maghreb didn’t go to Timbuktu to search for gold, rather, they found the land route to Makurdi without a compass to land in a gold mine.

The mined gold was Michael Eneramo but not without it’s rawness which needed a quick polish.

Destination was Tunis, the Land of the Carthage, hosting giants Esperance, the super multiple Tunisian league and FA Cup champions. Esperance were never short of quality gold and saw Eneramo as potentially the biggest thing to happen to the blood and gold.

The eggheads were right after all as the former Lobi Stars’ hitman would eventually strikingly “buy over” Esperance with his goals.

It wasn’t an easy road for the rookie whose goal account and most importantly, huge prospects for local side, Lobi Stars, forcefully opened the Esperance doors.

Zambian superstar striker Kenneth Malitoli left a silhouette behind that the management and fans alike had turned a monument to leave a huge mountain to climb for his replacement. There was nothing Malitoli didn’t do in Tunis, except contesting for the Tunis Mayorship before he walked like a king.

That was the void the giant rookie from Kaduna was to fill. Unknown, raw, untested on the big stage, Eneramo was to be hauled the hopes of thousands of Esperance faithful on your young shoulders.

Was he prepared for this huge fans’, management and Malitoli’s test?

Eneramo was to do the unthinkable, fans watched and expected, pressures reached crescendos. Eneramo was to be farmed out on loan to USM Alger to get enough preparation for the great expectations. Esperance knew the gold they mined in Makurdi, they were not letting go as they typically refused to waste time to harvest quality.

Eneramo was only raw and needed a faster polishing in Alger to return a finished product. There was no time for that at Esperance as quality lived in a natural habitat there to force an arranged loan move.

Eneramo started like a house on fire at the Algerian multiple champions true to Esperance beliefs and expectations. Goals visited him instantly as he arrived in Algeria, lots of them, plenty enough for a quick return.

Netting 13 times in 24 appearances was a huge test passed without a blemish and it was only time bound to Tunis.

The polishing was enough, total in Esperance’s estimations, as Eneramo returned to quickly grab the league title.

Esperance were not done with him preparing for a kill, another loan move to Saudi Arabia was quickly arranged for purpose.

Eneramo arrived in Riyadh for Al-Shabaab almost a turbaned Sheikh but his spell was as swift as he had started. Just after eight games and a goal, Eneramo was quickly recalled to take charged fully prepared. Eneramo was to return to restart an Esperance journey that would be a massive reference forever.

Was Napoleon Bonaparte close to doing what Eneramo did at Esperance?

Even the moons and stars stood up for the greatest striker ever to grace the blood and gold in their history. The huge Nigerian heritage had enjoyed and propagated at Esperance knew no better heights than Eneramo’s immense contributions.

League titles, FA Cup honours, individual honours became regulars as Eneramo galloped on to goals.

A whooping five League titles, three FA Cup titles and goaledor twice, equalling Malitoli’s record of winning it back to back.

Eneramo thus became the third player in the Tunisian side history to win the top scorer’s award back to back.

Esperance ran, Eneramo galloped, defenders shivered, goalkeeper sinned more by retrieving the ball from the back of the net. Club’s honours swole, delirium engulfed fans, Tunis stood still, Eneramo blasted again and again.

Was he ever looking elsewhere? Phone lines busied, offers flowed, club scouts visited, watched, but still not inked dotted lines. Eneramo hung on, banged on, Tunisia FA lines intensified, Eneramo thought home.

FA continued luring even the Tunisia President fast tracked citizenship as the FIFA World Cup sang “This is Africa” in 2010. The pride of fatherland burned fires in him, forced the late coach Shuaibu Amodu to extend a hand.

He did turn green and white for Tunisia who left Abuja not without an equalizer by Eneramo in the Super Eagles’ 2-2 draw in the 2010 World Cup qualifier game.

He would agonisingly miss the train to South Africa World Cup but was good enough for nine more games for his country. Two more goals for the Eagles proved enough for the rampaging striker.

Back at Esperance, the eggheads had finally agreed to ship him to Turkey as Sivaspor brought him over.

The echoes of Eneramo continued to resonate even in Tunis’s caves and mountains several years after his departure. None has since come close to equalling his mad goal rush, neither was any near his individual records.

His last shadows were painted red and gold as Eneramo returned to Tunis for one business, fun and the other. The great beyond was the unlikeliest place for Eneramo and Esperance but the mortality in humans called earlier than expected. .

Eneramo collapsed on the pitch while playing a local game in Kaduna and was pronounced dead on arrival.

Esperance mourn their super hero as it’s so hard for them to say goodbye to yesterday.

Good night, Eneramo!

The post Michael Eneramo: Born in Esperance first appeared on Score Nigeria.

The gold rush to Makurdi from the Maghreb isn’t for the weak-minded

Esperance see gold but unpolished and raw with potential knocking soundly on the door

Tunis sees this potential, welcomes but with a huge responsibility to score for more title conquests

Micheal Eneramo steps into shoes too big for a rookie whose shadows are expected to shade Zambia’s Kenneth Malitoli

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Michael Eneramo.
We extend our condolences to his family and loved ones.

Rest in peace, Michael. pic.twitter.com/hqH9BssiZs

— The Black Eagles (@BesiktasEnglish) April 24, 2026

Tough tasks for the raw gold whose materials for the polishing takes time to arrive

No time to waste at Esperance, business as usual, and a ship waiting to dock in Algiers to test run a quick polish

Mercy say no to the young gold bar, USM Alger not letting go and Eneramo sins no more with goals

Gold rush to goal rush the next chapter for Eneramo on return to Esperance

Goal mines replace gold mines at Esperance, Eneramo mines goals, polishes goals and finishes goals

Esperance go gaga, trade more titles, honours in the gallery with Eneramo’s Four Star General leadership shining through

Garlands got no space on Eneramo’s neck as well as his finances bring bank managers to their feet

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali goes green with envy, Eneramo’s national popularity a huge threat

Eneramo could sweep him clean in the polls but he isn’t thinking Maghreb, his colour is green and white

Even the presidential approval and fast track of Tunisian citizenship to fly the Eagles’ Carthage airlines sways Eneramo not

Eagles draped in green and white colours Eneramo allures with uncommon love and dignity

Eagle comes home to roost but disappointingly roosting 10 times

Mining goals three times out of ten tells the story of love, passion and commitment for motherland

Not a proud one for Eneramo, but regrets not, word to the mutha for the gold-plated striker

Nothing to prove anymore at Esperance, Eneramo is Esperance, Esperance is Eneramo

The history, the record stay forever, might take a long time to equal, Eneramo’s Esperance immortal

Turkey passed a baton, Sivaspor, Besiktas, İstanbul Başakşehir and Karabukspor receive

But not with a tale of goal rush Esperance-like but just on time for the long walk home

Kaduna receives to mourn after a long successful journey to end with a brutal cold exit

Adieu, Michael Eneramo, my bosom friend and brother, whom my golden pen also rushed goals for

IKENWA ASHIBUOGWU NNABUOGOR
2026

The post Special Tribute Michael Eneramo 1985-2026 first appeared on Score Nigeria.