Ashleigh Plumptre, born on 8 May 1998 in Leicester, is a professional footballer who currently represents the Nigeria national team, the Super Falcons which today play ousted Ireland in the last group game of the ongoing FIFA Women World Cup.

The Super Falcons defender recently decided to part ways with English Super League side Leicester City. The departure of Plumptre was officially announced by the Foxes in a statement  confirming  that the talented defender left the club after her contract expired at the King Power Stadium.

With a diverse background and a passion for the sport, Plumptre has made a name for herself in the footballing world.

Recognising her talent and dedication, she joined the Leicester City Centre of Excellence at the age of eight and spent seven years with the club, progressing from under-10 to under-15 level.

In 2013, she made a move to Birmingham City’s under-17 team, where she had the opportunity to train with the senior WSL 1 team. During that time, she briefly joined Derby County’s Centre of Excellence, a third-tier FA Women’s Premier League side.

Growing up in Melton Mowbray, a short 30-minute drive from the city, Plumptre’s affinity for football led her to join Leicester City’s centre of excellence at a young age.

From the age of eight to 14, she honed her skills within the club’s youth system, having already started playing for a local girls’ team a few years prior.

Reflecting on her childhood, Plumptre describes herself as a child who always craved physical activity.

After returning home from school, she would promptly drop off her bags and head outside to play football until her mother called her in for dinner.

This unwavering dedication to the sport was a testament to her passion and drive, even at a young age.

“I was one of those kids that just always wanted to be active,” Plumptre said.

Although she temporarily left Leicester City during her teenage years, fate would bring her back to the club where she would eventually sign her first professional contract.

“[It] meant a lot to me to sign for Leicester because it was the club I’ve always supported and I grew up here,” she divulged.

Education

In pursuit of her dreams, Plumptre moved to the United States in 2016 to pursue a scholarship at the University of Southern California.

There, she majored in human biology and also played for the university’s football team. In her first year, the team won the National Championship and were even invited to the White House to celebrate their achievement.

“It influenced so many things in my life, and not just football, I found out more about myself, what I’m passionate about,” she reflected.

Family

Ashleigh Plumptre comes from a mixed heritage. Her father is of Nigerian descent, specifically from Lagos State, and belongs to the Yoruba tribe. Her mother is English.

‘’My grandfather from dad’s side is a Nigerian from Lagos state. He is of Yoruba descent. My younger sister Bayleigh, is called by Yoruba name, Bisi. She is a drummer.

International Career

Plumptre’s connection to her Nigerian roots played a significant role in her decision to represent the Nigeria national team.

She spoke about her purpose and how it has evolved over time, emphasising her desire to delve into her heritage and represent the people she is familiar with.

Plumptre values the impact she can have as both a player and an individual, bringing her jovial and free-spirited personality to the game while also embracing her physical side, which she refers to as her “Nigerian side.”

“As much as I love playing football, I like to play for a purpose and a reason. I know the impact I can have by delving into my heritage more and representing the people I am always familiar with”.

Plumptre began exploring her Nigerian heritage during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Discussing her background with her sister, who identifies as black while Plumptre identifies as mixed heritage, she felt compelled to connect with her roots.

“Even though we have the same dad, we both have a Nigerian dad and a white mum, she looks a little different to me and has experienced things in school that I never had,” she says. “Most people just assume that I’m white. I identify as being mixed heritage. But my sister … she identifies as being black.”

As a result, Plumptre switched her international allegiance from England to Nigeria, aiming to experience the culture and educate her sister about their heritage.

She says: “That’s where I’m like: ‘OK, Nigeria would be good for me to do because then I can experience the culture more, I can come back and teach her about our heritage. That was the trigger for me.”

“I love the culture, I honestly love everything about being in Nigeria,” she says. She has also “realised how lucky I’ve been to just have been born in this country, the opportunities that I’ve been blessed with”. She adds: “My Nigerian teammates, for example, they’ve worked so hard but sometimes they don’t get the same opportunities based upon the teams that they’re playing in, the lack of exposure that they have. It’s a privilege to play with them.”

Career honours

Throughout her career, Plumptre has achieved several notable honours. While playing for Notts County, she was a Women’s FA Cup runner-up in 2015 and a FA Women’s League Cup runner-up in the same year.

During her time at the University of Southern California, she won the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship in 2016.

In 2019, with LA Galaxy OC, Plumptre claimed the UWS Championship. More recently, she contributed to Leicester City’s success, helping them win the FA Women’s Championship in the 2020-21 season.

Net worth

With her impressive performances on the field and her dedication to making a difference both as a player and as an individual, Ashleigh Megan Plumptre has become a highly respected figure in the world of women’s football.

Her net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, primarily derived from her appearances as a professional footballer.

As she continues to make strides in her career, Plumptre’s impact both on and off the field .is sure to leave a lasting legacy.

Source: goalballlive.com

President Bola Tinubu has finally moved to Aso Rock in Abuja on Sunday, July 30.

The official residence has been under renovation since April which led to the president operating from his private residence in Asokoro since his inauguration.

Recall that before President Muhammadu Buhari left office, he and his family moved to the Glass House, usually a transit accommodation, following the renovation of the main residence.

But according to TheCable, President Tinubu moved to the Glass House on Sunday night pending the completion of the renovation of the president’s official residence in August.

A presidency official told the news platform that Tinubu moved into the Villa because of public complaints over the traffic congestion as a result of road closures and restrictions.

The source said: “He finally moved on Sunday night because of public complaints over the traffic congestion around his movements.

“He too was unhappy with the discomfort to the public but the official residence is still not ready, so he decided to move to the Glass House.”

The Senate on Monday commenced the confirmation hearing of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees.

This followed a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Senator Dave Umahi.

Last week, Tinubu transmitted a 28-man list of ministerial nominees to the senate for screening.

The minister-designate list was sent to the senate through Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The list has drawn much controversy from various sections of the country.

However, the exercise to confirm or reject the nominees is now underway at the Senate

Government workers in Oyo State have protested against the economic hardship in the country on Monday.

The workers, on Monday, locked the state secretariat at Agodi in Ibadan demanding palliatives, an upward review of pension allowances, and payment of salary deduction among others.

They are also demanding payment of leave bonuses, payment of gratuities to retirees who have stagnated since the year 2021 and release of promotion letters for the years 2021 and 2022.

The protesters were workers and pensioners under the banners of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, and their affiliates.

Details later

Nigeria will play in the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The Super Falcons played out a 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland on Monday to confirm their place.

The closest Randy Waldrum’s ladies came to grabbing a goal was when Uchenna Kanu’s header was pushed onto the bar by Irish goalkeeper, Courtney Brosnan.

Nigeria finishes runners-up in Group with five points, after winning one game and drawing two.

Australia claimed the top spot thanks to their 4-0 thrashing of Canada.

Ex-Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has taken a swipe at politicians in the country.

She claimed politicians know why democracy is collapsing at an alarming rate, urging them to stop acting surprised when things like Niger happen.

In a post via her verified Twitter handle on Monday, the former Minister lamented that democracy is sadly in crisis worldwide.

She questioned if politicians were ready to admit their massive failures had grossly eroded state capabilities and their legitimacy, losing the trust of their citizens.

She wrote, “It is a fact that democracy is sadly in crisis all over the world.

“However, democracy is not just struggling but collapsing at an alarming rate in our own West African neighbourhood.

“Our politicians know why.

“They know and should stop acting surprised when things like Niger happen.

“The question therefore is, ‘are politicians ready to face the truth that stares them in the face and admit their massive failures which have grossly eroded state capabilities and lost them legitimacy and trust of their citizens?’”

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged jobs racketeering by Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) says it has received petitions against 39 MDAs over allegations of job racketeering and other infractions.

The Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi stated this in an opening remarks at the resumed sitting of the Committee on Monday.

The committee was set up by the House to investigate the MDAs, parastatals and tertiary institutions involved in the alleged mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

Gagdi said, some of the MDAs include the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Office of the Head of Service, Budget office, IPPIS, Federal Civil Service Commission and others.

The chairman said the committee would in line with it’s mandate engage over 600 MDAs to unearth the extent of the malfeasance in the federal civil service.

Recall that at the last sitting of the committee on Wednesday, there were allegations and counter allegations between the Chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), Muheeba Dankaka and some commissioners over job racketeering.

The Lagos state government says six animals in the state have been confirmed to have anthrax disease.

Anthrax is an infection caused by the spore-forming bacteria, Bacillus anthracis. It typically affects ruminants such as cows, sheep, and goats.

It is a zoonotic disease — transmissible from contaminated animals to humans.

Humans can get infected if they handle or are involved in the slaughter of a sick animal, or are in contact with contaminated animal products.

Making the announcement in a statement on Sunday, Olatokunbo Emokpae, the permanent secretary, ministry of agriculture, said the cases were discovered during surveillance of animals on Lagos Island and Agege.

According to NAN, Emokpae said the animals have been confiscated, burnt and buried, to prevent the spread of the disease.

She said no case of human infection has either been identified or reported since the discovery of anthrax disease in Lagos.

She added that human and animal surveillance have been stepped up and free vaccination has been intensified.

“Animal owners should take advantage of the exercise by coming forward with their herd for inoculation,” the statement reads.

‘“Please report cases of symptoms in animals to the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Director of Veterinary Services via telephone on 08023427594, 08180703010 or contact the Veterinary Epidemiologist on 08023328244.”

Loyalists of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have begun moves to expel the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The moves to expel Wike from the party gathered momentum last Saturday, days after he was nominated by President Bola Tinubu as a minister.

According to TheCable, a meeting hosted by Atiku, and attended by elders and stakeholders of the party who are his loyalists discussed ways to cut down Wike’s power extensively.

The meeting which lasted over two hours was held at the residence of a chieftain of the PDP and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, in Maitama, Abuja.

It was gathered that the meeting had in attendance former Delta State Governor and 2023 PDP presidential running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, the suspended party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and other party leaders.

Most of the attendees rooted for Wike’s expulsion, but some feared that it may further divide the PDP and lead to rationalisation.

It was also learned that that the meeting was called to discuss how to make one of the ex-governors succeed Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP National Chairman.

Some of the former governors who attended the meeting were Babangida Aliyu (Niger State), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), and Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano).

Also at the meeting with Atiku were seven serving governors of the party. They were Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State (Atiku’s state), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) and Lawal Dauda (Zamfara).

A lucrative €130m bid from Al-Hilal for Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen has been reject.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has turned down the offer after the Saudi side approached Napoli with the substantial sum.

This move comes after their initial interest in Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe was met with a cold response, leading them to explore other options.

Osimhen, who played a crucial role in Napoli’s triumphant Scudetto-winning campaign last season, has garnered significant interest from various quarters. The Italian club clinched the Serie A title for the first time in over three decades, with Osimhen’s stellar performances in the forefront.

As per reports from Il Mattino via TMW, Al-Hilal presented their bid to De Laurentiis, putting forth the sum of €130m for the Nigerian international. However, Napoli swiftly declined the proposal, indicating their unwillingness to part ways with the talented striker during this summer transfer window. Instead, Napoli is focusing on securing Osimhen’s future at the club by negotiating a new long-term contract. They value the player at approximately €200m.

The 26-year-old forward made his mark in the Serie A last season, finishing as the league’s top scorer with an impressive 26 goals in just 32 appearances. His remarkable achievement earned him the prestigious Golden Boot award, making him the first African player to claim this accolade in the league’s history.

The Saudi Pro League has seen a significant influx of players from Europe this summer all following in the path set by Cristiano Ronaldo who made his move in December of 2022