Nigeria’s Flamingos struck twice in the closing stages to defeat Burkina Faso 2-0 on Monday, extending their perfect start at the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, to three consecutive victories.
After Burkina Faso frustrated Nigeria for more than 80 minutes, Mary Dunstan finally broke the resistance in the 82nd minute, before Oluwakemi Adegbuyi sealed the victory deep into stoppage time in the 90+4th minute.
The result means coach Akeem Busari’s side have collected maximum points from their opening three matches and scored 11 goals while conceding only two.
Nigeria entered the contest as the competition’s form team following a 5-0 demolition of Niger Republic and a dramatic 4-2 victory over Ghana, achieved despite playing the final half-hour with 10 players.
Burkina Faso, however, presented a different challenge. They had recovered from an opening 4-0 defeat by Ghana to beat hosts Côte d’Ivoire 1-0, and their compact approach kept the Flamingos scoreless for most of Monday’s encounter.
Nigeria’s persistence eventually paid off through Dunstan, who has now scored in all three matches at the tournament. She also found the net against Niger and Ghana.
Adegbuyi then delivered the knockout blow in stoppage time, adding to the goal she scored against Ghana and completing another successful night for the World Cup-bound Flamingos.
Busari had warned before the match that Burkina Faso would not be underestimated, stressing that Nigeria could not afford complacency despite winning their opening fixtures.
The victory keeps Nigeria firmly on course in the six-team league-format competition, which was adopted following Benin Republic’s withdrawal.
Next comes another major examination: hosts Côte d’Ivoire on September 24, before Nigeria conclude their programme against Togo on September 27.
Three games. Three victories. Eleven goals. And with Dunstan and Adegbuyi delivering when Burkina Faso appeared capable of holding out, the Flamingos’ perfect run in Yamoussoukro rolls on.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, declared that what Nigerians saw during the 2023 presidential election will be totally different from what they would see in 2027.
Wike made the remark while dismissing claims that the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, is giving President Bola Tinubu sleepless nights ahead of the 2027 elections.
The minister spoke during his monthly media chat in Abuja.
Wike said: “I watched Amaechi; he had a town hall meeting in Cross River and I counted the number; they were not up to 200 people.
“He told them that this election has been won, he told them ‘can I tell you how this election will be handled?’ Atiku is from North, Tinubu is from South, Obi is from South, Donald Duke is from South and Atiku has won the election.
“That is what he was telling stakeholders in a town hall meeting in Cross River State. How can a vice presidential candidate go to a town hall meeting and he is telling his supporters that do you know that this election has been won?
“I have always told people that what you saw in 2023 will be totally different from what you will see in 2027. Mind you, in the South-East, it was difficult for most of the governors to campaign but now look at the campaign going on in the South-East.
“You think that what happened in 2023 will be the same thing in 2027, certainly not.”
Dismissing Amaechi’s political relevance, he recalled how the late former President Muhammadu Buhari could not get 25 percent with him as campaign director general.
He added: “Amaechi won his last election in 2011 and I was the DG of his campaign, when I left him and became a minister, he was governor. See the margin, I had one million votes and he had 100,000 votes in 2015, in 2019 he was the DG of Buhari and he could not get 25 percent of the votes for his candidate.
“In 2019 when they came with federal might to Rivers, the military, even the American marine came, they brought everything but he couldn’t get 25 percent as he is the super Minister of Transportation.
“In 2023, he was still a minister, supported Atiku and he didn’t get 15 percent. What has Amaechi done for the people of the state to now change their mind to support him?
“He was Minister of Transportation
and not one port is in the South-South, so what has he attracted to the South-South and Rivers State to make them support him.”
Plateau United goalkeeper, Okiemute Odah, has expressed optimism that the team will achieve success in the current campaign.
The Peace Boys have started their Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, campaign on a bright note with four wins, two draws and two defeats in eight matches.
Plateau United thrashed Kano Pillars 4-0 in their last league fixture at the New Jos Stadium on Sunday.
Odah, who has recorded three clean sheets for the Jos-based club this season, enjoined supporters to continue believing in the team.
“I want to thank my teammates and the coaches because it’s a collective game, the result against Kano Pillars is good for us and if we continue like this we will do more better,” Odah told Plateau United media.
“I want to urge the fans to support us that we can do it and we will make them proud.”