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Akor Adams Sets Early Serie A Mark, Tracks Nigeria’s Greats’ Scoring Records
Akor Adams could hardly have imagined a more impressive introduction to Italian football.
On a night when Venezia required inspiration, the Super Eagles striker delivered in emphatic fashion, scoring twice and providing an assist as his new club came from 2–1 down to defeat Modena 3–2 in the Coppa Italia.
It was more than a debut.
It was a statement.
Adams, who arrived from Sevilla in a reported €16 million deal that could rise with add-ons, demonstrated why Venezia identified him as a key figure in their plans ahead of their return to Serie A.
The Nigerian opened the scoring in the 26th minute before Modena turned the match around. However, rather than fade from the contest, Adams remained central to Venezia’s response.
He later set up John Yeboah for the equaliser before completing the comeback himself with a second goal in the 85th minute.
In total, Adams contributed directly to all three Venezia goals.
A highly encouraging introduction to Italian football.
Adams Has Already Sent a Warning
While the Coppa Italia is not Serie A, the performance has immediately heightened expectations regarding what Adams could deliver once the league campaign begins.
The 26-year-old arrives in Italy with a point to prove.
Having previously played in Norway, France and Spain, his move to Venezia represents another opportunity to establish himself in one of Europe’s most competitive leagues.
There is also a compelling narrative developing.
Adams is not merely beginning a new chapter; he is joining a distinguished line of Nigerian forwards who have left their mark on Serie A.
The benchmarks are significant.
The Nigerian Serie A Record Adams Is Chasing
For many years, Obafemi Martins set the standard for Nigerian strikers in Italy.
The former Inter Milan forward scored 28 Serie A goals in 88 appearances, establishing himself as one of the country’s most effective attackers in the competition.
Simy Nwankwo later surpassed that tally, finishing his Serie A career with 31 goals in 101 appearances. His standout campaign came in 2020/21, when he scored 19 league goals for Crotone despite the club’s relegation.
Victor Osimhen then redefined the record entirely.
The Napoli striker registered 65 Serie A goals in 108 appearances, becoming Nigeria’s all-time leading scorer in the Italian top flight.
Adams therefore faces a considerable challenge.
However, every record begins with a first goal.
He has already scored two—before even making his Serie A debut.
The Numbers Nigerian Strikers Left Behind
Nigeria’s leading Serie A scorers include:
Victor Osimhen — 65 goals
Simy Nwankwo — 31 goals
Obafemi Martins — 28 goals
Stephen Makinwa — 16 goals
Victor Obinna — 14 goals
These figures highlight the scale of the task ahead for Adams.
There is, however, a more immediate benchmark within reach.
Before Simy’s 19-goal season, Martins’ 11 goals in the 2004/05 campaign stood as the highest single-season tally by a Nigerian in Serie A. Simy later raised that standard to 19.
That may represent Adams’ first realistic target.
Beyond that lies progression: double figures, then 15, and potentially beyond.
Why Adams Could Be Different
Adams offers an intriguing profile for Venezia.
He combines physical presence and aerial strength with the ability to operate effectively inside the penalty area. His debut against Modena also suggested he can contribute beyond finishing.
His assist for Yeboah demonstrated creative awareness, while his two goals underlined the clinical edge Venezia will rely on from their leading striker.
Such versatility could prove valuable in Serie A, where forwards are often required to operate against disciplined defensive structures and experienced centre-backs.
Early indications are promising.
However, the true test will come with the demands of weekly Serie A competition.
From Debut Impact to Serie A Consistency
There is always a risk of overinterpretation following a standout cup performance.
Adams will be aware of that reality.
One exceptional performance can announce a striker; sustained consistency defines him.
For now, though, the Nigerian has given Venezia supporters exactly what they hoped for: goals, energy, and a glimpse of his potential.
A broader narrative is also emerging.
His progress in Italy will inevitably be measured against the standards set by Martins, Simy, and particularly Osimhen.
The record remains distant.
But after a debut featuring two goals, an assist, and a decisive role in a 3–2 comeback victory, Akor Adams has made an early and convincing statement.
Serie A now has another Nigerian striker to follow closely.
The 44 people identified as contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient will remain in isolation for at least three weeks.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed this Tuesday evening during an NTA interview, shortly after the ministry announced Nigeria’s first confirmed Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mr Pate said authorities are currently treating the case as an imported infection and not community transmission.
“At this moment, we are treating it as an imported case, not community transmission,” he said, adding that the situation could change if the virus begins to spread beyond the known contacts.
He said the 44 contacts, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts, are being isolated at a designated facility in Abuja. At the same time, public health teams determine who may have been infected.
“They remain in communication with their families by phone and other ways, but not physical contact, until we clarify who is infected and who is not,” he said.
Travel manifest obtained
The minister said Nigeria had been conducting risk-based surveillance at points of entry for the past five months through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and Port Health Services.
He said the aviation industry had also been an important partner in the surveillance effort.
According to Mr Pate, authorities obtained the infected passenger’s travel manifest, which is helping them identify people who may have been exposed.
He said the patient was asymptomatic when she entered Nigeria and developed symptoms after arriving in the country.
“This makes it less likely that the travel itself exposed folks at risk,” Mr Pate said, while noting that authorities were still investigating the circumstances surrounding her entry into Nigeria.
The patient, an unidentified woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, is currently in isolation and receiving medical care at a private hospital in the FCT.
Symptoms
Mr Pate urged Nigerians and health workers to watch for symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, body aches, and severe muscle pain.
He said the Ebola variant involved in the current outbreak is different from the Sudan and Zaire variants, adding that bleeding could occur but is less prominent than with some other Ebola variants.
The case comes amid an ongoing regional outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola virus, which the NCDC has been monitoring since the outbreak was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The minister also stressed the importance of travel history when assessing suspected cases, particularly among people who have recently travelled to eastern Africa.
He said the Abuja patient had no confirmed travel to the DRC, so authorities presumed she was likely infected in Uganda.
READ ALSO: Ebola in Abuja: 10 things Nigerians should know about the deadly virus
“We presume it is likely that it was picked up in Uganda,” he said, stressing the complexity of tracing the source of infectious diseases.
Regional outbreak continues
The Nigerian case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, where the disease has spread across several provinces.
WHO reported more than 8,700 confirmed cases and more than 4,200 deaths in the DRC as of 6 October, with transmission continuing across dozens of health zones. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
Kenya reported its first imported case on 6 October: a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC and travelled to Kenya via Uganda.
On 20 October, Kenyan authorities confirmed a ninth case involving a close family member of the first patient.
Uganda, from which the Nigerian patient recently travelled, recorded 20 cases between May and June 2026. The country subsequently ended its outbreak after completing the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.
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The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has warned President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, that the North will resist their vote-buying plot in the 2027 general elections.
Baba-Ahmed issued the warning on Tuesday while fielding questions in an interview on 'Politics Today', a programme on Channels Television.
He said supporters of President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, are underestimating Northern voters ahead of the 2027 polls.
He wondered what campaign leaders asking for Tinubu's re-election will tell people in Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno, Yobe, Kwara, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi and Nasarawa States.
According to him, Northerners will not forget the humiliation and neglect they have suffered under Tinubu's administration.
"We know they will share money that has never been seen distributed in politics. Their problem is undermining the northerners. We will show them that we too are citizens whose voices and dignity matter," he said.
Baba-Ahmed warned that nobody should attempt to manipulate or overturn the outcome of the election if the North rejects Tinubu and the APC in 2027.
He challenged those carrying Tinubu's banner to come for an open contest.
North will resist your vote-buying plot – Baba-Ahmed warns Tinubu, APC
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