Abdulraheem Shola could hardly have scripted a more emotional start to his Kano Pillars career.

The former Kwara United midfielder returned to familiar territory on Matchday One of the EuroMatch NPFL season and immediately made his mark, scoring for Kano Pillars against the club where he previously played.

But when the ball hit the net, celebration was not easy.

“I found it difficult to celebrate,” Shola admitted after the match, explaining the respect and affection he still has for Kwara United.

It was a moment that perfectly captured the emotional side of football. Shola had spent time at Kwara United and returned to Ilorin wearing the colours of Kano Pillars, with his professional responsibility now firmly with his new club.

For the midfielder, however, scoring against his former side was never going to be an ordinary goal.

“You could see that being a former player of United and now with Kano Pillars, it’s all about the business and profession,” he said.

That professionalism was evident from the opening whistle.

Shola put Kano Pillars ahead in the 11th minute, giving the visitors an early advantage and announcing himself in his first league appearance for the club.

Kano Pillars then extended their lead before Kwara United launched a dramatic fightback, eventually forcing a 2-2 draw in Ilorin.

For Shola, the result may have fallen short of what Kano Pillars wanted after leading by two goals, but he remained positive about collecting a point away from home at the beginning of a long campaign.

“It is just the beginning of the season. We are happy with the point,” he said.

The result also underlined the unpredictable nature of the EuroMatch NPFL, where an apparently comfortable advantage can disappear in the closing stages.

For Shola personally, though, the match represented something bigger than the final score.

It was the beginning of a new chapter.

He returned to a club he knows, faced players and supporters familiar to him, scored against his former employers and then had to balance personal emotion with his professional duty to Kano Pillars.

That is football.

The memories remain, the respect remains, but once the whistle goes, the badge on the shirt demands everything.

And Shola delivered.

His first EuroMatch NPFL appearance for Kano Pillars has already produced a goal, an emotional storyline and a reminder of the professionalism required to succeed at the highest level of Nigerian domestic football.

The past may belong to Kwara United, but Shola Abdulraheem’s next chapter is with Kano Pillars, and he has already announced himself.

After two successive weeks of loss, Nigerian stocks found resilience last week amid stronger buy pressure, helping market capitalisation appreciate by 0.8 per cent.

The oil & gas index propelled the fairly good performance, thanks to substantial gains by Seplat Energy, contrary to the penultimate week when it fared worst among the five sector indices.

In a way, it is a reassurance that investors’ interest in energy stocks is building up in view of the vibrant outlook on the sector that spikes in the price of crude holds for producers as the US-Israel war against Iran continues.

The upbeat market mood owes its debt to the profound revenue growth and, in some cases, a surge in profit that oil companies recorded at half-year locally and globally.

Looking forward, hopes are high this week that two key positives – Nigeria’s reclassification as a frontier market by FTSE Russell and its upgrade from stable to positive by Moody’s last week – could drive stocks further upwards.

PREMIUM TIMES has assembled some stocks with sound fundamentals, adopting rigorous approaches to save you the risk of picking equities at random for investment.

The pick, a product of an analytical market watch, offers a guide to entering the market and taking strategic positions, with the expectation that selected stocks will record reasonable price appreciation with the passage of time.

This is not a buy, sell or hold recommendation but a stock investment guide. You may need to involve your financial advisor before taking investment decisions.

Zenith Bank

Zenith Bank tops this week’s pick on the basis of its sound fundamentals and for trading below its intrinsic value. The lender’s net profit ratio (NPR) is 21.8 per cent, while the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio is 4.8x. Its 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is 55.2.

MTN Nigeria

MTN Nigeria makes the selection due to its robust fundamentals. The telecom operator’s NPR is 21.9 per cent, while the PE ratio is 11.6x. Its 14-day RSI is 28.8.

AXA Mansard Insurance

AXA Mansard Insurance makes the cut by virtue of its strong fundamentals and for trading below its intrinsic value. The NPR of the insurer is 3.4 per cent, while the PE ratio is 29.8x. Its 14-day RSI is 49.6.

Unilever Nigeria

Unilever makes the list on account of its sound fundamentals. The company’s NPR is 14.1 per cent, while the PE ratio is 19.6x. Its 14-day RSI is 30.5.

Jaiz Bank

Jaiz Bank appears on the pick based on its attractive fundamentals. The NPR of the bank is 28.5, while the PE Ratio is 11.6. The 14-day RSI is 39.2.