This evening at 4pm, we take another step in this long NPFL journey, and waiting for us this time are the newcomers, Kun Khalifat FC.
It is one of those fixtures that looks simple on paper but holds a thousand little stories underneath. A rookie club, privately owned, and still finding its feet in the big league, yet one that already knows what it feels like to sting the People’s Elephant. We still remember that Tico Select Pre-season Tournament game that ended 3–1 in their favour. If that result doesn’t serve as motivation enough, then nothing will.
Kun Khalifat’s entry into the NPFL has been anything but smooth. Life in the topflight has hit them hard. Four defeats from their opening seven matches and a seat at the foot of the table tell their story so far. They’ve shown flashes of promise, yes, but have also learned that this league takes no prisoners. Every mistake is punished, every lapse is magnified. They are learning the hard way what it means to be among the best.
Their travails have not been limited to results alone. Their home ground in Owerri was deemed unfit by the league organisers, forcing them to relocate to Aba — our own Elephant Park — as their adopted home.
Imagine that: playing your “home” games on another team’s turf; like us playing our Champions League games in Uyo. It strips you of comfort, identity, and that small sense of belonging every team needs. Yet to their credit, they’ve soldiered on, showing the courage to keep learning and fighting even without a real home.
For us, this is another test of patience and precision. We are still unbeaten, still within touching distance of the top, but recent results have been frustrating. Too many draws, too few goals. We’ve played good football in phases, but we haven’t turned control into conviction.
This game presents the perfect chance to fix that narrative — to remind everyone that the People’s Elephant doesn’t just move forward, it tramples through obstacles. We also need to shake off the ghosts of that preseason defeat. Friendly or not, it happened, and Kun Khalifat will surely take confidence from it. They will come with nothing to lose, eager to make a statement. But this time, they will be facing a sharper, hungrier Enyimba, one that has learned from its missteps and is ready to make every moment count.
Tactically, it would be folly for them to sit deep and play on the break. They will try to take the game to us as they are playing “at home” again. Our job is simple; stay patient, stay focused, and take our chances when they come.
If our attack can find its rhythm again, if our midfield controls the game as it should, then there is only one outcome that makes sense: victory for the People’s Elephant.
It is early October, and there is still a long way to go, but this is the kind of game that can spark a run, lift confidence, and set the tone for the weeks ahead. The lessons of last Sunday must turn into goals.
Let’s make sure the newcomers know exactly whose yard they’re in.
EnyimbaEnyi!
