Hull City manager explains why he hunted Super Eagles-eligible star

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirović has shed light on the club’s persistent two-month effort to sign midfielder Tim Iroegbunam.

Iroegbunam, who is eligible to represent Nigeria, made his debut for the newly promoted Tigers in their recent 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The midfielder joined Hull from Everton just before the summer transfer window closed, having already featured for the Toffees against Bournemouth earlier in the season.

An injury sustained after his move to the MKM Stadium delayed his first appearance, but he finally took to the pitch as a 69th-minute substitute for Matt Crooks in the clash with Chelsea.

Following the match, Jakirović praised the former Aston Villa player’s qualities and confirmed the lengthy recruitment process.

“Tim is a very good player. We knew from day one. We chased him for two months,” Jakirović told Hull City’s media team.

“He will help the team a lot. He has experience in this league, and for me, this is very important.”

Iroegbunam first caught Hull City’s eye following an impressive 2025/26 season at Everton, during which he had 31 league appearances and provided three assists.

After introducing him off the bench on Saturday, his manager pointed to the player’s extensive Premier League experience as the driving force behind their extended pursuit.

Once subbed on, the midfielder played a crucial role on both ends of the pitch in Hull City’s offensive and defensive efforts against Chelsea.

Tim Iroegbunam grew up in England with his Wikipedia profile noting that he is of Igbo Nigerian descent.

The Ogun State Police Command has recovered a stolen 2016 Toyota Camry at a hotel in Ifo, less than eight hours after it was reported stolen.

The vehicle, belonging to an Indian national based at the Ilupeju Industrial Estate, Lagos, was allegedly stolen on Wednesday by his driver, Waidi Olaide Kolawale, who was employed two days earlier.

Kolawale had reportedly told his employer that he was taking the car to a vulcaniser to fix a tyre but absconded with it.

Following the report, the car was electronically tracked to the Ifo area and the information was relayed to the DPO, Ifo Division, CSP Kamorudeen Olabisi, who deployed surveillance and anti-robbery operatives.

The operatives tracked the vehicle through several locations before locating it at a hotel in Ifo at about 8:30 p.m.

In a statement released on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, the driver, Kolawale, fled on sighting the operatives, while one suspect, Monday Adetunji, was arrested at the scene.

Babaseyi stated that preliminary investigation showed the suspects had allegedly approached a mechanic to remove the vehicle’s catalytic converter, but the mechanic declined.

“The vehicle has been secured, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect and establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident,” the PPRO added.

The spokesperson said the swift recovery demonstrates the Command’s technology-driven and intelligence-led approach to policing.

He quoted the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, as commending the Ifo operatives for their swift response and urging vehicle owners to install reliable trackers and anti-theft devices.

He also advised the public to conduct due diligence before entrusting vehicles to drivers and urged hoteliers to maintain accurate guest records and report suspicious activities through the Gateway Shield toll-free line.

Many filling stations across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have continued to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol.

The latest adjustment followed an N85 increase in Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s gantry price, from N1,265 to N1,350 per litre, amid a surge in global crude oil prices.

This represents a 6.7 per cent increase and takes the refinery’s wholesale price above the current petrol landing cost of N1,311 per litre.

Bent crude, the benchmark for Nigeria’s oil, was trading at about 107.92 dollars per barrel, and now to 108.21 dollars per barrel.

The increase has intensify pressure on downstream operators and triggered further adjustments in petrol prices across the FCT.

The implication is that motorists could face higher prices at filling stations in the coming weeks, higher cost of transportation and more financial burden on households.

Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja showed that some filling stations had started adjusting their petrol prices upward, with motorists paying more for the product.

NAN observed that MRS retail outlets increased pump price from N1,350 to N1,395 per litre, while NIPCO retail outlets raised pump price from N1,350 to N1,430 per litre.

Mobil outlets also increased from N1,350 to N1,400 per litre.

A petrol attendant at an MRS filling station, who pleaded anonymity, said the price of fuel could increase further from tomorrow.

“We are currently selling our old stock at N1,395 per litre, but from tomorrow, once the new stock arrives, the price will be higher,” she said.

Dr Aliyu Ilias, an economist and development expert, said the latest increase in petrol prices could worsen inflation and deepen economic hardship for Nigerians.

Illias said the increase in petrol prices would likely translate into higher transportation and production costs, particularly for food and other essential commodities.

“I think there should be a way of absorbing these costs. If you do not absorb them, they will show up in our next inflation figures and economic analysis.

“The more prices increase, the more the cost of producing goods, especially food, will rise because everything is affected by transportation costs.

“This kind of change is not good for the economy at all, and people are going to face more hardship as a result,” he said.

Mr Owei Lakemfa, the former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), said Nigeria must shield consumers from the impact of global oil price fluctuations.

Lakemfa said that the country should strengthen its economic planning and regulatory framework to d this.

According to him, a country like Nigeria, which produces crude oil and has a large population, should put measures in place to protect its citizens from sudden increases in the price of petroleum products.

“The ongoing geopolitical tensions involving major oil-producing and consuming countries, as well as attacks in the Middle East, are factors that can affect global oil prices and should not come as a surprise to policymakers.

“We have known that the conflict between the U.S. and Iran will affect the shipping of oil products. We know that.

“In basic economics, when you are close to the source of your products, you have advantages. If we produce oil in Nigeria, refining in Nigeria can not be the same as importing fuel. It can not be,” he said.

He said that importing refined petroleum products comes with additional costs, including labour, insurance, shipping and other expenses incurred in the exporting country.

He called for stronger planning and regulation, adding that domestic fuel prices should not automatically rise whenever there is a geopolitical crisis abroad.

“It can not just be that any time Iran attacks the U.S. or there is another conflict, the price goes up. We have to plan. And that is the only sense of governance,” he said.

He also expressed concerns about the structure of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market, noting that it had elements of oligopoly and monopoly that could make it easier for major players to influence prices.

According to him, regulatory agencies must prevent any individual or group from having excessive influence over the price of a critical commodity such as petrol.

“You can not allow any individual or group to dictate to the country. That is why you have regulatory agencies. The government is there to protect the state and the people,” he said.

Lakemfa urged the Federal Government and consumer protection agencies to take stronger action against arbitrary price increases.

He said that changes in global oil prices should not automatically translate into equivalent increases in domestic petrol prices.

He further said that effective regulation and forward planning were necessary to protect consumers and prevent further economic hardship.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, said marketers reviewed their pump prices following a series of adjustments by Dangote refinery.

Ukadike said the frequent price changes were creating uncertainty for both marketers and consumers, as the cost of replacing products could change.

(NAN)