FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed

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The 66^th FIFA Congress kicked off a new era for FIFA and global football with the announcement of a “step change” in FIFA’s investment in football development, new FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, progress on the implementation of the reforms, and the FIFA Legends programme.
FIFA Forward: a new, tailor-made development programme
To build on his manifesto pledges, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented “FIFA Forward”, a complete overhaul of FIFA’s football development programmes. FIFA Forward provides 360-degree, tailor-made support for football development in each of FIFA’s member associations and the six confederations. FIFA will significantly increase its investment to USD 5 million for each member association per four-year cycle for football projects and support for running costs. The use of funds will be monitored closely through enhanced compliance, accountability and transparency, with all member associations required to publish independent audits of their finances as per the new “FIFA Forward” regulations.
UN official Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura appointed FIFA Secretary General
President Infantino announced the appointment by the FIFA Council of Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura (Senegal) as FIFA’s new secretary general, the first woman and African to hold this post. Ms Samoura is a 21-year veteran of United Nations programmes who is currently the UN’s Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria. As required under FIFA’s statutes, Ms Samoura will undergo an eligibility check by the independent Review Committee, per article 37 of the FIFA Statutes. Ms Samoura will assume the role of secretary general before mid-June.
“Fatma is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time,” said President Infantino. “She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform. Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation.”
Reforms in action
FIFA updated its member associations on the progress in the implementation of the reform process since new measures were approved in February. Reforms are now operational within FIFA’s structures: 
·       Enhanced compliance for revenue and spending
·       Eligibility checks for new members of committees and senior positions
·       Publication of individual compensation of senior FIFA officials
·       Appointment of first independent members on key committees
The president announced the creation of a women’s football division in the FIFA administration to further support the promotion and development of women’s football.
Regular “football summits” for member associations will start in the third quarter of 2016, with inter-confederation conferences involving about 20 associations designed to address important regional topics in football.
FIFA Legends programme
Clarence Seedorf and Sun Wen presented the “FIFA Legends programme” which will support the organisation’s goal of giving a stronger voice to people directly involved in football. The FIFA Legends Team is designed to bring together former top players from the men’s and women’s game to promote and support football and its wider mission around the world, and to give something back to the game. 
The Legends will focus on three main activities:
·       The FIFA Legends on Tour – Four two-day tours will take place in the first year, including additional events from grassroots clinics to fundraising and fan engagement.
·       The FIFA Legends Forum – think-tank sessions – as started yesterday in Mexico – will create a platform to hear their views on current football affairs. These views will be shared with top decision-makers, authorities and policy committees in football.
·       The FIFA Legends Initiatives – Members of the Legends Team will act as ambassadors in key areas such as event promotion, football development, women’s football, diversity, health and sustainability projects.
Kosovo and Gibraltar admitted as FIFA members
The FIFA Congress followed the recommendation of the FIFA Council and confirmed the admission of Kosovo (141 "yes" to 23 "no" of valid votes cast) and Gibraltar (172 "yes" to 12 "no" of valid votes cast) as the 210^th and 211^th FIFA members. Both associations will be entitled to take part in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with UEFA tasked to look into the best way to integrate Kosovo and Gibraltar in the preliminary competition.
Election of new FIFA committee members:
·       Governance Committee: Luís Miguel Poiares Maduro (Portugal) has been elected as Chairman and Mukul Mudgal (India) as Deputy Chairman. Both will also head the independent Review Committee. Luis Felipe Cantuarias Salaverry (Peru) was elected as a member of this Committee.
·       Disciplinary Committee: John Simmonds (Jamaica), Leonardo Carlos Stagg Peña (Ecuador) and Carlos Manuel Terán Valero (Venezuela) have been elected as members.
·       Ethics Committee: Akihiro Hara (Japan), Oscar Vicente Scavone Rivas (Paraquay) and Anin Yeboah (Ghana) have been elected as members in the Adjudicatory Chamber.
·       Audit & Compliance: Enrique Bonilla (Mexico) and Jorge del Solar Bueno (Bolivia) have been elected as new members.
·       The Congress authorised the Council to appoint office holders for the remaining vacant positions within the judicial bodies, the Audit & Compliance Committee and the Governance Committee until the 67^th FIFA Congress, and to dismiss any office holder of these committees until the 67^th FIFA Congress.
Ahead of the FIFA Congress, the Council also appointed the following Committee members, including former international top players Luis Figo, Mia Hamm and Theodoros Zagorakis:
·       Independent members:
o   Finance Committee: Vanessa Ames Wittman (USA); Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece)
o   Development Committee: Deputy Chairman Luis Figo (Portugal); Deputy Chairwoman Mia Hamm (USA)
·       Football Stakeholders Committee:
o   Chairman Ramón Jesurún (Colombia)
o   Deputy Chairman: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
o   Deputy Chairman: Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire / TBC)
Other decisions:
·       Ahead of the Congress, the FIFA Council lifted the suspension of the Football Association of Indonesia imposed in May 2015.
·       The Congress confirmed the suspensions of Benin and Kuwait, and asked the FIFA Council to lift these suspensions as soon as the necessary requirements are fulfilled.
·       The Congress extended the mandate of the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine, which was set up by the 65^th FIFA Congress in 2015. Chaired by Tokyo Sexwale, the committee reported progress in facilitating the free movement of Palestinian people and goods connected with football. The FIFA President announced that he would travel to Palestine and Israel to help resolve the outstanding issue of five clubs playing in the disputed area that are affiliated to the Israel Football Association.

Great Shock as 120 Disgruntled Aso Rock Workers Turn Against Buhari, Mocks Buhari

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Many of the workers working in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, have expressed their disappointment over what they described, as a sycophantic meeting hurriedly organised by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, June 21, a few days after returning from his 14-day medical vacation leave in London.

After the meeting, the workers groaned that the presidency kept them in the heat of the sun, only to end up, “hearing the same old song of jailing looters without considering their welfare”.

According to the Cable; “When Aso Rock staff got a circular on Wednesday morning, directing them to attend an “emergency meeting” with President Muhammadu Buhari, they were thrilled.

“Many of them thought it was going to be a heart-to-heart talk, and had planned to discuss burning welfare issues with the president. Indeed, many of them were glad they would see him closely for the first time in their lives.”

Reacting to the meeting, a worker said: “You can then imagine our shock when the State House permanent secretary (Jalal Arbi), who led us to the meeting, told the president we only came to welcome him back from his medical trip.”

Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesman, had said staff from 12 departments of the State House came to bid Buhari, a “warm welcome”.

ALERT!!! Bloody Battle In Igbo Olomu,isawo, Ikorodu, Lagos

ALERT!!! Bloody Battle In Igbo Olomu,isawo, Ikorodu, Lagos

This is to Inform anyone whose plans are to go to Igbo Olomu area of Isawo, Ikorodu, Lagos.. There is an ongoing bloody battle. This area is now a dangerous war zone and has been going on there since saturday. Between the pipeline vandalisers and the Nigerian army.. Right now, the vandalisers has sought out to killing innocent civilians.. Last night/mid morning today, these ijaw people broke into many people living in that locale's home and killed all of them mercilessly.. Over 60 people was said to have been killed just last night alone. Adding others they have killed these past few days, it has crossed over 150 innocent lives taken suddenly. Young and old alike.. Everyone is on the run away from that Oke muti and Elepete side of Igbo Olomu. Even Land owners and Land lord's have fleed from their homes to secure their lives. This is to show you how serious the problem is. So it would be advisable to hold off any trip to Igbo olomu,Isawo, Ikorodu for a while until the Nigerian Army can take control of the region. May God protect us all living in Igbo Olomu.. May God bless Nigeria.. Amen

Young Justice Season 3 Possibility Is Very Real Says Greg Weisman

The past year or so has seen a lot of renewed interest in a Young Justice Season 3.
Last August saw "#renewyoungjustice" trend worldwide on Twitter.
Some of the actors involved even hinted the series could come back especially through Netflix, which carries the first two Young Justice seasons.
Now series creator Greg Weisman says the "possibility is very real" for Young Justice Season 3.
The Christopher Niosi YouTube channel caught up with Weisman who offered in order to get a Young Justice Season 3, fans can:

1. Watch Young Justice Season 1 and 2 on Netflix (as many times as possible).

2. Buy NEW copies of the DVDs and/or digital copies through Amazon and iTunes (WB doesn't get any revenue from old/used copies).

3. Purchase the Young Justice digital comics through Comixology to show WB there is interest.

"This is not me blowing smoke," Weisman offered. "I truly believe it is possible. I want to be clear, I got no guarantee. I don't even work at Warner Bros. anymore. I work at Nickelodeon. But I've had a couple conversations with the folks at Warner Bros., and even a conversation with some folks at Netflix, and I have a basic understanding of how this works. So what I'm offering isn't a guarantee, it's a viable strategy. It's something that is real, that can help us get a third season of the show."
Weisman then went on to explain why Young Justice was cancelled.
"The thing to keep in mind was why the show was cancelled in the first place," Weisman said. "And it's a very simple equation. I've seen all sorts of rumors and stuff on the internet. I debunk the same damn rumors over and over, but the actual truth is very straightforward. I'm sure there are other little complications involved, but they're minor compared to the big thing, which was the budget for the show was paid for by money we received by Mattel in exchange for the toy license. When the toy line for Young Justice failed, and you could have a whole eight hour discussion on why it failed, that's so beside the point that it doesn't matter. The toy line failed. The money from Mattel stopped coming in. There was no money to make the show. It's that simple."
Weisman continues with mention how they can bring Young Justice back (see three ways above).
"Why that is important, it's not some conspiracy or that it has the wrong audience, it's not any of those things. The reason why it's important to know why it was cancelled is because that's the key to figure out how to bring it back. What can we do to pay for the show in a different way? The answer to that is you want to demonstrate, specifically to Warner Bros., also to a number of companies that sort of hover around, or divisions that hover around Warner Bros. animation, that there are alternative ways to pay for the show. So first and foremost, what I'm asking people to do is [use the hashtag] #KeepBingingYJ. That first hashtag is mostly about Netflix.
Weisman then goes on to note that hype for Young Justice needs to stay big and be consistent, not just trend one day on Valentine's Day, and notes it is working.
"Those are the three real ways that we can affect things, and what I will say is that it seems to have had an affect, I don't have any inside information, but it's clear that Warner Bros. and Netflix are at least having a conversation. I don't know if we're close. I don't know if we are far away, but the fact they are talking at all, that's promising. So it's working, but again, it's a long haul. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

Niger Delta Avengers Panic as Buhari Makes Very Powerful Move

President Muhammadu Buhari, has offered to meet personally with the Niger Delta Avengers, through the Governors, Elders and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta Region, as part of his efforts towards seeking peace in the region, following renewed sabotage of oil and gas installations by the militants.

President of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Udens Eradiri, disclosed this on Saturday, June 25, explaining that the Presidency has contacted elders and stakeholders to inform them of Buhari’s intention to dialogue.

Buhari’s response came few hours, when the Niger Delta Avengers, in a Statement called on the President to visit the Niger Delta region, and see the impact of destruction of oil wells on communities for himself.

The militant group added: “President Buhari should borrow a leaf from PM David Cameron, call for a referendum and let Nigerians decide, like they did to vote you into power”.

 

They also posted a map of Nigeria, split into five distinct republics. Recall, that few months ago, the militants had threatened to ‘kill’ the President, if he dares step his foot in the Nigeria Delta Region, during the launching of the cleanup of Ogoni Land.

They also vowed to launch missiles and attack Aso Rock, the Presidential seat of power ,among others.

Meanwhile, Eradiri, has commended the President, for heeding to the IYC’s advice to use dialogue in resolving the crisis in the region.

 

“We want to commend the president, because I heard from the grapevine from one of our foremost Governors and leaders of Ijaw land this morning (Saturday), when he said that they have been invited by the President for an engagement with respect to the Niger Delta crisis”.

Elsewhere, oil production in the country, now hovers around 1.8 million barrels per day, from 2.5m barrels per day, following the militants’ constant attacks.

 

Saraki On The Run as President Buhari Writes Very Threatening Letter to Him Over Forgery Scandal

President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Attorney-General of the of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, has on Thursday night, called on Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and three others accused of forging the Senate Order, to defend themselves before the court, rather than trading blames.

This came at the heels of the accusation by the Senate, that the charge of forgery against Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, and two others, amounted to an abuse of the principle of separation of powers.

Charged with the Senate president and the deputy Senate president, are former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and Clerk of the Senate, Bernard Efeturi.

Malami, in a statement by his Media Aide, Salihu Isah, said it was within his constitutional powers to initiate criminal proceedings against anybody, where any of the investigating agencies has established a prima facie case against such suspect.

The AGF, who faulted the arguments by Saraki and others named in the forgery scandal, urged them to go before the court and explain their roles in the case, rather than accusing him of violating the Legislative arm.

“It is not in doubt that each arm of government is constitutionally-vested with distinct powers. Looking critically at the doctrine of the separation of powers, it is a practice that exists on a tripod viz, the executive, legislature and judiciary, with clearly distinctive functions and responsibilities, as captured under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“So, by virtue of this, we are committed to the rule of law and will thus, keep to the tenets of the rule of law, as enshrined in a constitutional democracy like ours.

“The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, is empowered under Section 174 (1) of the Constitution and vested with the power to undertake and initiate criminal proceedings in any court of law in Nigeria”.


He added, “By virtue of this power as the Chief Law Officer of the nation, he has simply initiated criminal proceedings for forgery against the affected principal officers in the Senate, for altering the Senate Standing Rules in the Federal High Court.

“It is worthy to note here, that the action of the Attorney-General of the Federation, can stand the test of any law, since he did not act on a vacuum.

“He acted based on a recommendation by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who having fully satisfied investigative procedure arising from the petition, sent to the Nigerian Police by some aggrieved members of the Red Chambers of the National Assembly, alleging that the affected officers altered the Rules of the Senate for Dr. Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, to emerge leaders of the Eighth (8th) Senate of the National Assembly.

“Under the 1999 Constitution, only the Attorney-General of the Federation has the power to institute criminal proceedings.

“For the benefit of doubt, as stated above, there was a petition bordering on allegations of forgery against the defendants, the petition was investigated by the police and the police recommended the case for prosecution.

“At this point, the question is how initiation of criminal proceedings against Dr Bukola Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu, Salisu Maikasuwa and Bernard Efeturi violated the principle of separation of powers as contained in the Constitution?

“The action of the Attorney General of the Federation cannot obviously be said to be a coup against the National Assembly as the Senate has claimed.

“By preferring the charge, the accused persons are entitled to fair hearing under the law while the prosecution is obligated to prove its case against them beyond reasonable doubts.

“Therefore, the Attorney General of the Federation has not violated any known law in the land. Or is the Senate suggesting that its principal officers, members and staff of the National Assembly are above the law or enjoy same immunity as do the nation’s President and Governors?

“It is common knowledge over the years since the nation embraced democratic system of governance and backed by the current Constitution those elected officers of government who are exempted from legal encumbrances whether it is civil or criminal are known to all.

“It is pertinent to be reminded too, that forgery of the Senate Standing Rules cannot be described as the internal business of the National Assembly that is exclusively only in its purview”.

 

AT 191 YEARS OLD, MAMA ESIFIHO MAY BE THE OLDEST WOMAN ALIVE