News
Arthur Okonkwo Stars Again As Charlton Secure Home Win Over Preston
Super Eagles goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo continued his impressive start to life at Charlton Athletic, keeping a clean sheet on his home debut as the English Championship side defeated Preston North End 1–0.
Sports247 reports that the Nigerian goalkeeper delivered another composed performance between the posts, helping Charlton secure maximum points at home and maintain their strong start to the new campaign.
Okonkwo joined Charlton on a season-long loan from Wrexham and has wasted little time making an impression. After producing a standout display in his first appearance during Charlton’s 2–1 away victory over West Ham, the 24-year-old followed it up with another assured outing against Preston.
His latest performance was particularly important as Charlton protected their narrow advantage until the final whistle. Okonkwo remained focused throughout the encounter and helped ensure that Preston were unable to find a way past him.
The clean sheet also represents another significant milestone for the goalkeeper as he continues to establish himself in the highly competitive Championship.
Okonkwo’s statistics from his opening two league appearances tell the story of a promising beginning: Two games, two wins, nine saves and a clean sheet — Arthur Okonkwo is making an early statement in the Championship.
The goalkeeper’s eight-save performance against West Ham proved crucial in securing victory on his debut, while his home display against Preston demonstrated his consistency and ability to provide stability from the back.
For Charlton, Okonkwo’s arrival appears to have strengthened an important position, with the goalkeeper already contributing directly to two victories.
The early performances will also be welcomed by Nigerian supporters, particularly as Okonkwo continues his development and seeks to strengthen his position within the Super Eagles setup.
Although the Championship season remains long and demanding, the former Wrexham goalkeeper has given Charlton plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his contribution.
His confidence, shot-stopping ability and composure have been evident from the opening two fixtures, while the clean sheet on his home debut provides further evidence of his growing influence.
Charlton will now look to build on their positive start, with Okonkwo expected to remain a key part of their plans as the season progresses.
The Governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji, on Thursday assured President Bola Tinubu that the past governorship candidates of the Social Democratic Party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Allied Peoples Movement, APM, are supporting his reelection bid.
Speaking during the APC's Ekiti State 2027 presidential campaign rally, the governor said no President has been as good to the people of the state as Tinubu.
Oyebanji said, "Mr President, Ekiti people have spoken and we have listened to the candidates of the SDP, PDP, and APM that we contested the June governorship election together, all three of them are now united to ensure that we deliver Mr President in January.
"I stand to be corrected that since the creation of Ekiti State, no President has been this good to Ekiti people. In May this year, Mr President sent the Vice President to Ekiti twice for us to commission some projects and to campaign. He sent the Vice President with one simple message – if we were happy with the performance of the governor, please return his promise.
"On June 20, the opportunity presented itself, you filed out and returned APC with an unprecedented vote of 85.7 percent, it has never happened in the history of this state, that victory is not for me; it's for Bola Tinubu, it's APC's victory.
"You told the President that you are happy with what he has done in the last four years, evidence said I will do more for Ekiti on one condition – return me back as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."
Oyebanji assured Tinubu to relax because he will get 80 percent votes from Ekiti State.
He added: "Mr Vice President sir, our message to Mr President is that 'ki won lofokan bale,' there is no problem in Ekiti State. We have made up our mind that come January 16, we are going to double the tally of what we did in June this year.
"Ekiti is united and I have all the candidates of other political parties that contested with me here, all our former governors, Fayose, Niyi Adebayo, Fayemi are physically present here. Oni sent his apologies, I can say this boldly here that there is no problem in Ekiti.
"We will return the President with nothing less than 80 percent of the votes and that is a charge to Ekiti people."
2027: Ex-APM, SDP, PDP candidates supporting Tinubu, he’ll get 80% Ekiti votes – Oyebanji
A British national has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UK government has confirmed.
According to the BBC, the British man tested positive for the virus while in the DRC. Reuters subsequently reported that he would be medically evacuated to the UK for specialist treatment. However, the exact time of the evacuation was not immediately known.
This marks the first confirmed case of a British national contracting the virus during the ongoing outbreak in the DRC, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives.
Ebola is a viral disease that can cause severe illness and spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person.
Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, muscle pain, weakness, and diarrhoea.
“The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated,” a UK government spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“Further information will be shared in due course as appropriate. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.”
Ebola outbreak
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus, and was first declared in DRC in May 2026.
According to the latest figures from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak had recorded 10,563 confirmed cases and 5,130 deaths across five countries as of 1 November 2026.
The DRC accounts for the majority of the cases, with 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 deaths. The outbreak has affected eight provinces in the country.
Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, alongside one probable case and one probable death.
Nigeria confirmed its first case on 20 October after a traveller with a history of travel to Uganda tested positive for the virus. The patient was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for treatment.
READ ALSO: Resident doctors commend Uba Sani for prioritising healthcare workers’ welfare
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 62 contacts linked to the Nigerian case had been identified and were under follow-up as of 29 October.
Symptoms and transmission
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has explained that Ebola survivors may transmit the virus through sexual intercourse if it persists in their semen after recovery.
However, survivors who have met the criteria for discharge from treatment are not expected to transmit the virus through sweat or saliva, as the virus is cleared from their blood.
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