Connect with us

Lifestyle

Nigeria’s National Female Football Team In Faraway Austria Preparing For Wasteful Self-serving Aisha Buhari Tournament

Published

on

The team is in Austria for an 8-day training camp as part of preparations for some upcoming games, most notably the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament.

Nigeria’s national female football team, Super Falcons are on a wasteful trip to Vienna, Austria to train for a self-serving tournament to honour the African country’s first lady, Aisha Buhari.

Already the trip is not short of drama as a visibly angry Nigerian man could be heard in a viral video querying the footballers for representing Nigeria during the government of Muhammadu Buhari, whose regime has been marred by human rights abuses, nepotism, sectarianism, killings, poor economy, and worsened unemployment rate and poverty.

This happened on a bus after their training in the European country.

Indeed, the contingent of the nine-time African champions – Nigeria – are in Vienna, the Austrian capital, for reasons that are less than noble.

The team is in Austria for an 8-day training camp as part of preparations for some upcoming games, most notably the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament.

A source in the government told the media that “a lot of money is being spent on the tournament organised by the Nigerian Football Association, and this runs into lots of millions.”

“It is a wasteful tournament to boost the ego of the first lady who never stands up for the real issues affecting the girl child in Nigeria. So what purpose is this supposed to serve?” the source asked.

Lagos is scheduled to host the six-nation invitational tournament that will see the Super Falcons, Ghana’s Black Queens, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses, Banyana Banyana of South Africa, Morocco, and Mali compete in September for a trophy named in honour of Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Twenty-six Nigerian players, alongside technical and administrative staff, are staying at the Event Hotel Pyramide, Vienna for camping.

Director of organisation of the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament, Aisha Falode recently revealed that the committee was determined and prepared to deliver an event befitting the person of Aisha Buhari, which comes at a time when the per capita income of the average Nigerian and other indices of measuring an area’s prosperity have nose-dived.

However, currently, Buhari Government is characterised by a high unemployment rate of 33.3% (Q4 2020), a high inflation rate of 18.17% (March 2021), and a prime lending rate of 11.24% in April, worse than previous governments. These placed the misery score at 62.2 index point, according to data from Nairametrics.

Africa’s powerhouses in women’s football, namely Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Mali, and Morocco have confirmed their participation in the maiden invitational football festival said to be aimed at uplifting the cause of the girl-child in the continent.

But hundreds of schoolgirls have been kidnapped in Northern Nigeria by bandits and insurgents with the first lady mostly withdrawing into sullen silence.

Meanwhile, according to organisers, the event will address issues affecting women in developing countries with direct reference to the place of the girl-child in society.

The six-nation football tournament is billed to hold in Lagos from September 14 to 20, 2021, when some kidnapped schoolgirls are still likely to be in the den of bandits and insurgents.

Organisers of the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament have also confirmed that FIFA President, Gianni Infantino; CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe; FIFA General-Secretary, Fatma Samoura, and other world football dignitaries will be in Lagos for the tournament.

But the same government cannot provide decent schools for schoolchildren.

For instance, just in June 2021, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said the country has the highest number of Out-of-School Children in sub-Sahara Africa.

Mr Nwajiuba announced that Nigeria had an estimated 10,193,918 children out of school, many of whom are girls.

He noted that “the current challenges affecting the Nigerian education system has left much to be desired, the system is characterised by high illiteracy level, infrastructural decay, and deficits.”

But according to Falode, “The football top shots’ acceptance to be part of the Aisha Buhari Cup as confirmed by the NFF President is a mark of respect for Nigeria’s indefatigable First Lady, Aisha Buhari.” “They want to use the occasion to honour her as well as recognise her various activities and contributions in and outside Nigeria over the girl-child advocacy and empowerment programmes.

“Remember that the football event will host the best women football playing countries in Africa and the presence on such august occasion of the movers and shakers of football in Africa and world will just be right and deserving for the name of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari,” Falode was also quoted as saying.

Culled from the Sahara Reporters

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Houston

Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

Published

on

Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

Continue Reading

Lifestyle

$600 Million Showdown: Michael Jackson’s Estate Executors Refusing to Pay Pop Star’s Mom $500k Legal Bill

Published

on

Now She is Fighting to Block Music Catalog Sale

The war between Michael Jackson ’ s mother Katherine and the two executors running his estate has heated up. According to court documents, lawyers for the executors, John Branca and John McClain , asked the court to shut down Katherine’s recent demand for $500k.

As we first reported, Katherine filed a motion asking that she be reimbursed $561,548. She said she spent the amount on a team of lawyers to fight the executors over the sale of Michael’s music catalog .

The executors asked the court to approve the music catalog sale in 2022. Katherine quickly opposed the deal. The parties went back and forth in court for months until a hearing was held on the matter.

At the hearing, Katherine testified that Michael did not want the music catalog sold and that he considered it a lifeline. Michael’s children Paris and Blanket told the court they opposed the deal too. Blanket said he opposed on emotional grounds.

The executors fired back claiming Katherine has a pattern of objecting to lucrative deals. They argued the market was hot for the music catalog sale and they needed to take advantage of it.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=20oBOm_0rpVCYR600
The estate said it had every right to make the deal. 

“The Estate was teetering on the verge of collapse, with more than $400 million in debt that encumbered Michael’s most significant assets and little or no liquidity or means to service that debt. Through creative thinking, hard work and business savvy—and, of course, Michael’s extraordinary creative legacy—the Executors transformed the MJJ Business into a profitable enterprise,” the executors said as they argued for the deal to be approved.

Despite the family’s plea, the judge approved the executors’ deal and allowed them to move forward with the sale.

Within weeks, Katherine had filed an appeal of the decision. She argued the executors did not have the authority to sell Michael’s assets.

Recently, the executors argued that Katherine’s appeal should be dismissed. They said they had every right to sell the catalog. No decision has been reached on the appeal.

On February 9, 2024, the estate announced they sold one half of Jackson’s music to Sony for $600 million — a deal that Katherine said should not have gone through.

As part of the appeal, Katherine won a couple of small victories against the estate. As a result, she asked the court to award her the $561k in legal fees.

Now, the executors asked the court to deny the motion for legal fees. In their motion, they argued, “The Petition does not indicate the source from which Mrs. Jackson’s counsel seeks to have the requested attorney’s fees and expenses paid. It is not clear whether she is seeking payment from the probate estate or from the Trust.”

Further, the executors argued, “To the extents Mrs. Jackson seeks payment from the probate estate, the Petition lacks merit because it relies on provisions of the Trust, claiming that payment of legal fees is required by provisions of the Trust authorizing the Trustees to make payments “in [their] absolute discretion, for [Mrs. Jackson’s] care, support, maintenance, comfort and well-being.”

A judge has yet to rule.

Culled from Rada online

Continue Reading

Houston

Otu-Umuokpu Anambra USA in Houston Gets New Leadership  

Published

on

Houston – TX: The Otu-Umuokpu Anambra USA Association Inc., Headquartered in Houston, Texas, has inaugurated its new executive leadership. An election was held in November 2023 where a set of new executive leadership emerged and was officially sworn-in on February 4, 2024.

Adaeze Stella Icon Adeone Samuel ( Stainless) is now the group’s new President, whereas Adaeze Nkiruka Mbonu ( Mmili doluedo) is the  Vice President.  Former President, Adaeze Dr Maria Elioku (Nkpulunma) remains the President Emeritus. A complete list of the new executive board members will be available on the group’s website, it was gathered.

While welcoming the new leadership team, President Emeritus Dr. Elioku thanked the outgoing executives for their impeccable service during their tenure. “As we all know, our mission as Otu- Umuokpu Anambra, USA Association is to promote and uphold our welfare and culture as well as foster unity, love, and harmony among us; and I am glad that within the past years, we were able to curtail distracting challenges to uphold those values,” she said.

Otu- Umuokpu Anambra, USA Association is a community of all paternal daughters of Anambra State of Nigeria with the core mission to promote and uphold the welfare and culture of her members; and foster unity, love, and harmony among them. The group has since its inception shared the uniformity of their ancestry as a unifying tool for community development and bonding of sisterhood.

For more information about Otu-Umuokpu Anambra, USA Association, Inc., please call 832-640-6329 or click to visit their website >>>>

Continue Reading

Trending