The streets are buzzing, the stands are humming, and the legendary rriental rivalry is set to ignite the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba as the People's Elephant aim for a 10th win over their eternal foes, the City Flying Antelopes, in a blockbuster NPFL Matchday 15 top of the bill fixture on 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’.

After the two time CAF Champions League title winners training on Saturday morning, Maduforo delivered a rallying cry that has already begun to stir the blue side of the East.

"Come Sunday, we will be up against Rangers International and it will be a sweet game," 'Shiba' began, with smile creeping across his face. 

"When two brothers fight, it’s always interesting, and we really appeal to our loyal fans to continue to give us their maximum support and not to give up on us."

'Shiba' has a rich knowledge of Rangers dressing room and their DNA inside out. He admitted Enyimba has taken lessons from their narrow loss Katsina United in Ilorin in a matchday 14 clash last weekend.

"After the loss against Katsina United, we went back to the drawing board to correct our lapses in order to push for the maximum points in the coming games, starting with Sunday's match against Rangers," 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, not a 100m race. 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.

According to 'Shiba', the blue army must stand tall again.