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Actress Nkechi Blessing and former Big Brother Naija winner, Phyna, are set for a celebrity boxing face-off in Lagos.

The bout, tagged ‘Chaos in the Ring’, is scheduled for October 1, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, according to the event organisers, Balmoral Group.

Balmoral announced the boxing clash in an Instagram a promotional poster featuring the two entertainers in boxing gear.

The post reads: ‘Plot twist? Let’s see what the women can do. Phyna VS Nkechi, the rivalry is real. Now, let’s see who backs it up when the bell rings’. The announcement came hours after Nkechi Blessing and Phyna engaged in a heated exchange on social media, following comments by the actress about the reality star’s online confrontations.

Nkechi Blessing had questioned Phyna’s frequent involvement in online disputes, urging her to calm down and be more careful in her interactions with others.

Phyna subsequently responded, questioning why the actress had publicly addressed her, while explaining that they had previously communicated over a movie project.

According to Phyna, Nkechi Blessing had contacted her about appearing in a movie, but their communication ended after a disagreement over the timing of her response.

The planned bout will therefore move the dispute from social media to the boxing ring, with both entertainers expected to face each other on October 1.

Balmoral’s ‘Chaos in the Ring’ series has previously featured entertainers including Portable, Charles Okocha, Speed Darlington and Carter Efe.

Carter Efe defeated Portable by a unanimous decision in May, while Charles Okocha defeated Portable in their rematch in July, both under the celebrity boxing series.

The organisers also said the Oct. 1, bout will be broadcast on DAZN and SuperSport.(NAN)

It is often said that when knowledge is deployed to solve a problem without personal interest taking precedence, the problem is halfway solved. But when personal interests override the common good, they can undermine even the most potent solutions while denying society the opportunity to learn from experience.

That learning process is particularly important in rebuilding the North-East, where more than a decade of insurgency has left deep humanitarian, economic and social scars. The region’s recovery requires not only resources and infrastructure but also the ability of institutions and other actors to examine what has worked, what has failed and what needs to change.

Despite efforts by government authorities, security agencies, humanitarian organisations and development partners, recovery across the six North-East states remains gradual. However, the rebuilding process is underway, and the experience continues to provide lessons for those involved.

For more than a decade, the North-East has been associated with prolonged conflict and humanitarian crisis. The Boko Haram insurgency and its breakaway factions disrupted security, destroyed communities, weakened local economies and displaced millions of people. Farming, trade and other livelihoods that sustained communities were severely affected.

The humanitarian consequences have been enormous. More than 350,000 people have been estimated to have died directly and indirectly from the conflict, while over 2.5 million people were displaced from their homes. At the height of the crisis, about 8.4 million people required humanitarian assistance, with Borno, Adamawa and Yobe bearing much of the devastation.

Ten years into the rebuilding effort, however, the story is no longer exclusively about destruction. It is increasingly also about recovery, institutional development and the lessons emerging from the process.

One of the earliest major federal responses was the establishment of the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) in 2014 by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The initiative was designed to provide emergency support and position the region for long-term development.

However, concerns about the management and effectiveness of interventions under different programmes reinforced the need for a more permanent institutional framework for reconstruction and development.

The Buhari administration subsequently established the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI), which paved the way for the creation of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC). The commission was established as a permanent institution with a broad mandate to initiate, coordinate and implement programmes aimed at rebuilding and developing the region.

The NEDC has since become one of the most visible institutions in the reconstruction effort. Its interventions cover infrastructure, education, healthcare, housing, roads, livelihoods and humanitarian support. The commission has also provided relief materials to internally displaced persons and vulnerable communities while supporting agricultural activities through the provision of seeds, fertilisers and farming equipment.

Its interventions in dry-season farming and irrigation are also aimed at helping communities restore food production and livelihoods. Infrastructure projects, including roads, schools, healthcare facilities and water projects, are intended to reconnect communities and support economic activity.

Beyond physical reconstruction, the rebuilding process requires social recovery. Traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and community groups have continued to contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation and youth empowerment.

Another important actor is the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which has provided humanitarian assistance and coordinated disaster response in affected communities. Its activities have included the distribution of food, medical supplies and other relief materials to displaced persons and victims of insurgency.

NEMA has also worked with humanitarian partners to assess displacement, identify urgent needs and support affected populations in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and other parts of the North-East.

The Nigerian military remains central to the security component of the recovery process. Since the insurgency began, the military has conducted sustained counter-insurgency operations, reclaimed territories and disrupted insurgent strongholds. It has also worked with neighbouring countries through the Multinational Joint Task Force to address the cross-border nature of the conflict.

Military operations have facilitated the rescue of civilians and the surrender of insurgents, while the acquisition of additional air and other military capabilities has strengthened the fight against insurgent groups.

Foreign partners have also played an important role. Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Nations and the World Bank are among the international partners that have supported humanitarian, recovery and development programmes in the region.

Germany, for instance, has supported resilience programmes implemented by UNICEF and the World Food Programme, focusing on areas including child protection, nutrition, education, water, livelihoods and climate-adaptive food systems.

The United Nations Development Programme has also supported livelihoods and stabilisation efforts, while other UN agencies have implemented programmes aimed at addressing trauma, reintegration and community resilience.

Yet, much of the work on the ground is also being undertaken by Nigerian organisations and community groups. Humanitarian partners provide food, healthcare, water, shelter and education, while local civil society organisations operate in communities that may be difficult for international organisations to access.

Traditional institutions, religious leaders and women’s groups are also playing important roles in mediation, community dialogue and peacebuilding. In some returnee communities, women’s cooperatives have received support to establish small businesses and rebuild livelihoods.

Despite these efforts, the rebuilding of the North-East is far from complete. Poverty, weak infrastructure, unemployment, insecurity and governance challenges continue to affect recovery.

As WFP Country Director David Stevenson noted, food insecurity remains one of the region’s critical challenges, compounded by climate and economic pressures. UNICEF has similarly highlighted the vulnerability of children and women affected by the crisis.

The central lesson from the past decade is that reconstruction cannot be sustained by infrastructure alone. It requires security, effective institutions, accountable management of resources, economic opportunities and continuous learning.

The North-East therefore needs a rebuilding process in which government institutions and development partners regularly assess their interventions, identify failures and replicate what works. Such an approach can help reduce waste and ensure that resources produce lasting benefits for communities.

Ten years after the devastation, the North-East has made progress, but the scale of the remaining challenges demands sustained commitment. The task ahead is not merely to rebuild what was destroyed but to create stronger institutions, resilient communities and economic opportunities capable of preventing a return to the conditions that fuelled the crisis.

The rebuilding of the North-East must therefore remain a shared responsibility. Its success will ultimately be measured not by the number of projects completed, but by whether families can live safely, children can attend school, farmers can return to productive land and communities can regain the confidence to build their future.

Abdulrahman Abu Hamisu

At least five people have died following the collapse of a mining pit at Mayo Kam in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The pit reportedly collapsed on the suspected miners on Thursday, during which 20 people were feared trapped. It was gathered that fellow miners at the site subsequently launched a rescue operation.

The spokesperson of the Taraba State police command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, confirmed the incident, but said only five people lost their lives.

Earlier on Thursday night, a resident of the area, Idris Sarkin Dawa, told our reporter that four bodies had so far been recovered from the collapsed pit at Kusum, an area not far from the main mining site shut by the Taraba State Task Force on Illegal Mining last month.

He said the miners used diggers and other equipment to open up the collapsed pit during the rescue operation.

‘Four bodies were removed from the pit through an operation embarked upon by miners at the site,’ he said.

According to him, the operation began hours after the incident occurred and was expected to continue yesterday morning, adding that the rescue effort was difficult because of the depth of the pit.

The Sarkin Dawa said the identities and places of origin of the victims were yet to be established because miners at the site came from different parts of the country and beyond.

He suggested that the victims could be from the same state as miners usually worked in groups at individual pits.

‘There are many pits at the site, each being manned by at least 10 people or more.

‘What happened yesterday was a sad event and it has brought fear and uncertainty to the miners who work at the risk of arrest or being buried,’ he added.

He said it was difficult to determine the exact number of miners trapped in the collapsed pit because it was a large one where more than 20 miners could work at a time.

It would be recalled that the Taraba State Task Force on Illegal Mining had shut several illegal mining sites across the state in recent months. However, illegal miners have continued to return to some of the sites despite enforcement efforts.

For decades, Nigerian football fans have sustained themselves on the glorious memories of Enyimba’s historic back-to-back continental triumphs. We hold onto those years like a shield, using them to argue that our domestic league is not inferior to others on the continent.

Unfortunately, nostalgia cannot win matches in Cairo, Casablanca or Tunis. The current era of African football has delivered a sobering wakeup call to the self-acclaimed football capital of the continent. Watching our reigning champions struggle to assert dominance in the qualification rounds while continental rivals casually cruise into the group stages forces us to confront a heavy truth: the gap between the NPFL and the rest of Africa is widening by the day; and ignoring it will only hasten our decline into complete irrelevance.

This reality stared us in the face recently as four Nigerian clubs struggled to clear the first preliminary round hurdles in this year’s CAF club competitions. In the end, only two teams-defending NPFL champions, Enugu Rangers and Federation Cup holders, El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri-managed to survive, while Rivers United and Shooting Stars (3SC) of Ibadan stumbled and crashed out at the initial hurdle.

Even so, the performances of the two surviving teams do not inspire much confidence as they head into more formidable fixtures. Rangers scraped through on penalties after a pair of identical draws against AS Sobe-map of Benin Republic. After drawing 1-1 at home, they surrendered an early lead in the return fixture to draw 1-1 again, ultimately winning 5-4 in a tense penalty shootout. That narrow escape set up a daunting second preliminary round clash with North African giants, MC Alger.

Similarly, El-Kanemi Warriors capitalised on a massive 3-0 home win against Guinea-Bissau’s UDIB, but failed to build momentum, losing 0-1 away to advance 3-1 on aggregate. Like Rangers, they have been paired with a North African powerhouse-Raja Casablanca of Morocco. For many fans, this looks like the end of the road, with some concluding that only a miracle can save the duo in the next round.

Among the casualties, Rivers United disappointed deeply. After earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw away against San-Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire, Coach Finidi George’s men suffered heartbreak at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, falling behind by two early goals. Although they showed immense character to claw back to 2-2, the away goals conceded proved fatal. For 3SC, their fate felt sealed the moment they drew CS Sfaxien. Despite a narrow 1-0 home win, the ‘Oluyole Warriors’ were easily caged 0-2 in Sfax, underscoring the recurring vulnerabilities of NPFL clubs.

These shambolic continental showings are rarely surprising anymore. Too many government-owned clubs refuse to adopt professional standards on and off the pitch. Those conversant with modern football trends agree that clubs operating with an amateurish outlook struggle even to meet basic club licensing demands. As the old adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail, and expecting different results while repeating the same mistakes is the definition of insanity.

What must NPFL clubs do differently to compete favourably with opponents in Tunis, Casablanca, Cairo, Algiers and Johannesburg? First, NPFL clubs must make player salaries a non-negotiable priority. Chronic underpayment forces quality talents to flee to obscure foreign leagues. In 2013, the defunct League Management Company (LMC) introduced an enhanced monthly salary structure, while abolishing sign-on fees to curb corruption. In practice, players often receive neither sign-on fees nor consistent salaries. Consequently, any top-tier talent remaining in the NPFL is usually just waiting for a foreign escape route.

Second, poor recruitment remains a plague. Many domestic coaches rely on sentiments, personal interests and the toxic ‘man-know-man’ syndrome rather than merit. Extremely talented players frequently miss out simply because they lack personal connections within club management.

Third, most state-owned clubs are treated as political appendages rather than business enterprise. Governors often appoint political loyalists with zero football administration experience to manage massive budgets. These administrators care little about long-term development or team trajectory as long as monthly allocations keep flowing, leaving poorly motivated players and staff to suffer.

Fourth, lack of standard facilities severely hamstrings Nigerian clubs, forcing them to play home matches away from their traditional fan bases. Disturbingly, Nigeria currently has very few fully approved venues for continental fixtures, such as the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, and the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne. El-Kanemi Warriors have had to relocate from Maiduguri to Ogun State, losing the electric home energy that comes with playing at familiar grounds. The same applies to Enugu Rangers leaving ‘The Cathedral’ for alternative venues, creating a nomadic existence that destroys focus for professional athletes.

Finally, unstable leadership and technical staff turnover undermine institutional growth. Notably, just days before their crucial clash with CS Sfaxien, 3SC appointed Coach Salisu Yusuf to replace the manager who qualified them for the Confederation Cup, forcing a brand-new tactical philosophy onto the squad right before a high-stakes match.

It is time Nigerian football administrators accepted that the era of relying on past glories to validate the domestic league is officially over. African football has evolved into a high-stakes, professionalised industry, yet NPFL clubs continue bringing amateur habits to an elite table. To reverse this decline, we must immediately overhaul how football is funded, how players and coaches are recruited, and how our massive infrastructural gaps are bridged.