The Euro 2024 tournament has lit up the sporting world with giant slaying clash, mouthwatering goals and record-breaking performances all in the first round of games that have recorded 34 goals so far with FIFA top-ranked Belgium suffering an early defeat to low-ranked Slovakia.

Real Madrid youngster, Arda Guler broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record to become the youngest player to score on their Euros debut against Georgia. The ‘Turkish Messi’ did it in style by netting a worldie that has been nominated for goal of the round.

Amidst the series of entertaining games at the EURO 2024, Nigeria has found a way to squeeze itself into the tournament and for some Nigerians, it is a distraction from the recent poor performance of the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers.

Among the standout players are some players with Nigerian roots, who, while representing their respective European nations, carry the heritage and legacy of Nigeria.

Footballers of Nigerian descent who have openly embraced their Nigerian roots have pivotal roles to play for teams like Germany, Netherlands, England, and Italy.

The tournament is not just a celebration of Europe’s finest football talent but also a testament to the global diaspora that has shaped modern football, and that includes Nigeria.

See the Nigerian-born players at EURO 2024 below:

Jamal Musiala- Germany

Jamal Musiala has emerged as one of the standout players in Germany’s squad. The Bayern Munich prodigy, renowned for his agility, vision, and technical prowess, might have played in the Africa Cup of Nations had he chosen to represent his father’s country, Nigeria. Musiala’s father hails from Nigeria’s Yoruba tribe, while his mother is German with Polish roots. His diverse background is mirrored in his versatile playing style.

Musiala’s football journey began at Chelsea’s academy, where he honed his skills before joining Bayern Munich. Despite playing for both England and Germany at the youth levels, he committed to Germany in 2021, a decision that has proven fruitful for Die Mannschaft. His Nigerian heritage adds a rich cultural layer to his already impressive profile.

Bukayo Saka- England

Bukayo Saka’s impact on the England national team has been profound. With Nigerian roots, Saka brings a unique blend of speed, creativity, and tactical intelligence to the squad. At just 22, the Arsenal winger has rapidly become one of football’s most exciting young talents. His journey from the youth ranks at Arsenal to becoming a key player for both club and country is a testament to his dedication and skill.

Saka’s versatility allows him to excel in multiple positions, whether as a winger, wing-back, or even a central midfielder. This adaptability, combined with his Nigerian heritage, provides a rich narrative of talent and cultural pride, making him a fan favourite and a vital asset to Gareth Southgate’s team.

David Alaba- Austria

David Alaba, another player of Nigerian descent, anchors Austria’s defence with his experience and leadership. Born to a Nigerian father and a Filipino mother, Alaba’s multicultural background is reflected in his versatile playing style. Whether playing as a centre-back, left-back, or even in midfield, Alaba’s presence is a cornerstone of Austria’s strategy at Euro 2024. Although he would not be playing at the Euro 2024 due to injury, however, he would be on the bench as a “non-playing captain”.

Manuel Akanji- Switzerland

Manuel Akanji, a key player for Switzerland, boasts Nigerian roots through his father. Known for his strength, composure, and tactical awareness, Akanji has been instrumental in Switzerland’s solid defensive performances. His journey from the youth ranks in Switzerland to becoming a mainstay in the national team highlights the influence of Nigerian heritage in shaping top-tier European talent.

He made a winning start to Euro 2024 as Switzerland beat Hungary in their Group A opener in Cologne. The City defender played a full 90 minutes as the Swiss took a significant step towards qualification for the knockout stages with a 3-1 victory

Eberechi Eze- England

Eberechi Eze, the talented midfielder from Crystal Palace, has cemented his place in England’s Euro 2024 squad, impressing manager Gareth Southgate with his exceptional skills. Born to Nigerian parents in England, Eze’s journey to the top is a testament to his perseverance and dedication, reflecting the resilience and passion of his Nigerian heritage.

Despite being released by four English clubs, Eze never gave up on his dream, and his determination paid off with his success at Crystal Palace. His impressive performances, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists, caught Southgate’s attention, leading to his selection for the national team. Eze’s inclusion came at the expense of Marcus Rashford, a notable omission from the squad.

With a point to prove, Eze is determined to secure his spot in the team and make a lasting impact at the Euros, proudly representing both England and his Nigerian roots. His unique street-style football, influenced by his Nigerian heritage, has captured the attention of fans and pundits alike, earning him a reputation as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League.

Noah Okafor- Switzerland

Noah Okafor, the talented attacker of Nigerian descent, is making waves in Europe with his impressive performances for AC Milan. Born to Nigerian parents in Switzerland, Okafor’s speed and skill on the wings have earned him a spot in the Swiss National team, alongside fellow Nigerian-Swiss player, Manuel Akanji.

With six goals and three assists for the Rossoneri in all competitions, Okafor’s contributions have been invaluable. His Nigerian heritage has undoubtedly influenced his playing style, bringing a unique flair to the pitch. Despite representing Switzerland internationally, Okafor’s roots remain strong, making him a source of pride for Nigerian fans worldwide.

With 22 appearances for the Swiss National team, Okafor is ready to take the international stage by storm, proudly representing both Switzerland and his Nigerian heritage. His success serves as an inspiration to young players of Nigerian descent, showcasing the potential for greatness that lies within. As Okafor continues to soar, his Nigerian roots will remain an integral part of his journey to the top.

Michael Folorunsho- Italy

Michael Folorunsho, the talented defender of Nigerian descent, has made a significant impact in the world of football. Born to Nigerian parents in Italy, Folorunsho’s impressive skills have earned him a spot in the Italian National team, making his debut in June.

Following a stellar loan season with Hellas Verona from Napoli, Folorunsho’s performances caught the attention of coach Luciano Spalletti, securing his place in the squad as they aim to defend their title in Germany. Folorunsho’s Nigerian heritage has undoubtedly influenced his playing style, bringing a unique perspective and flair to the pitch.

Joshua Zirkzee – Netherlands

Joshua Zirkzee, another talented footballer of Nigerian descent, is part of the Netherlands national team at Euro 2024. Born to a Nigerian mother and a Dutch father, his full name is Joshua Orobosa Zirkzee. Zirkzee graduated through Bayern Munich’s system and had spells with Parma and Anderlecht before joining Bologna in the summer of 2022.

The forward, who is strongly linked to Manchester United, received limited game time in his first campaign in Serie A, scoring only two league goals from 808 minutes. However, in the just-concluded season, he scored 11 league goals.

The presence of players of Nigerian descent at Euro 2024 highlights the global nature of modern football and the profound impact of African heritage on the sport. Jamal Musiala, Bukayo Saka, David Alaba, Manuel Akanji, and others exemplify the blend of talent, culture, and heritage that defines contemporary football. As the tournament progresses, their contributions will continue to showcase the enduring legacy of Nigerian influence on the world’s most beloved sport.

South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa hailed “the beginning of a new era” on Wednesday as he was sworn in for a second full term as president after his weakened African National Congress (ANC) struck a hard-won government coalition deal to remain in power.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to re-elect the 71-year-old last week after a May 29 general election produced no outright winner for the first time in three decades.

“The formation of a government of national unity is a moment of profound significance. It is the beginning of a new era,” Ramaphosa said, after taking the oath of office during a ceremony at the Union Buildings, the seat of government, in Pretoria.

“The voters of South Africa did not give any single party the full mandate to govern our country alone,” he added, speaking before lawmakers, foreign dignitaries, religious and traditional leaders and cheering supporters.

“They have directed us to work together to address their plight and realise their aspirations.”

Ramaphosa is expected to announce his cabinet in the coming days, as talks with coalition members continue.

Numerous heads of state, including Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Angola’s Joao Lourenco, Congo Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso and Eswatini’s absolute leader King Mswati III attended the inauguration.

Guests in suits, fancy dresses and coats to keep warm in the chilly winter weather started to arrive early in the morning amid a heavy police presence.

VIPs, some singing anti-apartheid struggle songs, were allowed into a small amphitheatre within the imposing, sandstone government building.

Other attendees, some holding South African flags, sat on a lawn outside as dancers and musicians performed on a big stage.

After Ramaphosa was sworn in, a band played the national anthem, followed by a 21-gun salute and a fly past by the air force.

Third time lucky

It was the third time Ramaphosa has taken the oath.

The former trade unionist turned millionaire businessman first came to power in 2018, after his predecessor and rival Jacob Zuma was forced out before the end of his term under the cloud of corruption allegations.

Ramaphosa was then re-appointed for a full five-year term in 2019. In South Africa, voters elect the parliament, which then votes for the president.

Ramaphosa promised a new dawn for South Africa, launched an anti-graft drive and started to reform a collapsing energy system.

But under his watch, the economy languished, blighted by power cuts, crime remained rife and unemployment increased to 32.9 percent.

In May, he led the ANC into yet another vote, but the historied party of the late Nelson Mandela came out bruised.

It won only 40 percent — down from 57.5 percent five years earlier.

For the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994, it lost its absolute majority in parliament and was left scrambling to find coalition partners to remain in power.

It has since agreed to form what it calls a national unity government with several other parties.

A Gambian national based in Sweden, Bai Malick Ceesay, has asked his ex-wife to return the sum of D10 million, which he reportedly spent on her in the course of their six-year marriage.

In an audio message sent to local media, Bai Malick also accused his wife of extramarital affairs.

“I am the CEO of BMC Transportation and BMC Apartments. My wife of six years began an affair with a man she met for business some months ago,” he said.

According to him, during their marriage, he spent D10 million on her including a D1.2 million plot of land in Sanyang, a luxury vehicle worth over D700,000, and a Louis Vuitton bag valued at more than €218,000.

Bai Malick also claimed to have financed her estranged wife's business venues.

"I intend to hire a lawyer to take her to court and recover all the money I spent on her," he declared.

"The total amount exceeds D10 million, covering loans and bills I paid on her behalf. I will calculate everything."

Bai Malick emphasised his determination to reclaim his funds.

"I will contact top lawyers. I cannot let her leave with all my money. I have all the evidence."

The wedding invitation of Afrobeats star, Davido and the mother of his twins, Chioma Rowland has surfaced online.

The leaked invitation, which surfaced unexpectedly, provides a tantalizing glimpse into what promises to be one of the most extravagant celebrations of the year.

Shared by celebrity blogger, Cutie_Juls, who excitedly detailed her privilege in receiving the invitation, the leak has swiftly captured the attention of fans and followers.

Cutie_Juls expressed her delight at receiving the exclusive invitation.

She wrote;

“The moment my son’s IV team said “Mama where do you want your IV to be dispatched to”? E choke… See eehn, right now, I’m the most important Old woman in the world. Mama to the Super Star Groom. In-law to the Super Star Bride, Grandma Ibeji. The only VVVVVVVVVVVVIP Blogger of the day. E choke… My son is having his Traditional marriage. Biko, Swiss Lace or nothing babe… with my pure diamonds on the D-day. Chai! Wahala for who no have data on that day. Congratulations to my son @davido and his beautiful bride, Mrs Chioma Adeleke.”

A 23-year-old Nigerian woman has confessed, narrating how she stole a day-old baby from a hospital bed in Adamawa State.

The woman, Maryam Sani, took the baby from a clinic in Ngurore, a community in Yola South Local Government Area.

Maryam, confessing the act to newsmen, said that after having a miscarriage three months into her pregnancy but did not tell her husband, she needed to come up with a baby when her supposed pregnancy reached full term.

She revealed that when she got to the clinic for a check-up because she was feeling unwell and found herself in a ward where there was no one around, she saw an opportunity to take a baby from a bed whose mother and other people were outside sleeping.

“I didn’t carry the newborn baby girl for any evil reason. I took her because I loved her and needed her for myself,” she said.

She added that when she took the baby home, nobody suspected her of anything since she appeared to be ‘pregnant’.

“The community believed I was pregnant and we did the naming ceremony without my husband knowing how the baby actually came about,” Maryam said.

However, the false motherhood ended for Maryam when she was arrested after her biological parents reported the matter to the police, whose investigation led to her arrest.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa State, SP Suleiman Nguroje, has vowed that the woman will face the law and answer for her crime.

“The command will never allow criminals of any type to have a field day in Adamawa State, and Maryam will be duly prosecuted,” Nguroje said.

Ex-Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has stated that during his tenure, he left the country better than he met it.

Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta, yesterday, June 18, at the Safe Online Youth Fellowship Bootcamp organised by NerdzFactory Company, supported by Meta at the Youth Development Centre, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).

He recalled landmark achievements his administration recorded while in office between 1999 and 2007.

He said he was responsible for setting Nigeria free from the bondage of immense debt, adding that he takes pride in the celebration of the 25 years an uninterrupted democracy, which started during his reign as democratic ruler in 1999.

He said: “When I came in as elected President, I wanted to get debt relief because we were spending $3.5 billion every year servicing debt and the quantum of the debt was not going down. Today, I can say that I made Nigeria better than I found it from an economic perspective.

“I found $3.7 billion in the reserves and we were spending $3.5 billion to service our debt. By the time I left, we had a debt of about $36 billion with the debt relief, and I left with a debt of $3.6 billion. Also, I left a reserve of over $50 billion. I also achieved excess crude for the country worth over $25 billion.”

Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has berated the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, over his reaction regarding the comment of former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, on the plan to acquire presidential jets.

Naija News reported that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Monday, condemned the move by the Federal Government to buy new aircraft for the presidential fleet.

Peter Obi described the move as insensitive while Nigerians grapple with economic hardship occasioned by the Federal Government’s policies.

However, Onanuga, in a swift reaction, described Obi’s comment as insensitive, wondering if he would rather have the life of the President jeopardised by flying faulty aircraft.

In a post via his social media page, Dele Momodu backed Peter Obi’s statement and suggestion, stressing that there is no reason to acquire presidential jets when the country is going through hard times.

The veteran journalist noted that Tinubu owned private jets before he was declared President and should demonstrate the sacrifice he has been preaching to Nigerians.

He wrote, “In these hard times, there’s no compulsory reason for a country to own Presidential jets. In fact, it is an overindulgence. ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU owned private jets ever before he was declared President. He can demonstrate the SACRIFICE he preaches by downsizing and returning to them and requesting his retinue to go commercial when absolutely necessary. AIR PEACE has a fleet of Boeing 777 that can be hired for long haul flights and this will keep them in business. Trouble is our politicians are outlandishly flamboyant… There’s nothing wrong with what PETER OBI said and suggested…”

Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing him of doing very little or nothing to solve the hunger issues Nigerians are going through.

In a statement by its National Secretary, Chief Peter Ameh, the Coalition said the President had deployed what it described as incompetent government policies which have all failed, wondering why Nigerians would now offer themselves as burnt offerings while government officials lived in luxury.

The Coalition further noted that the inability of the government to secure farms and farmers in the country was also a major contributor to the hunger being faced by the people.

“The luxurious lifestyle of our leaders is the reason we are in this mess, because those in government have misplaced priorities and have vehemently refused to do right by our people.

“Rather they prefer to spend money on white elephant projects that require high expenditure but never deliver returns or serve no useful purpose, like the proposal for a new private jet for the President.

“Such money should have been channeled towards the development of projects that will have lasting positive impact on the lives of citizens,” Ameh said in the statement.

He added that, “The President and his Vice have spent over N8.64bn on travel expenses within the last three months while he continues to give speeches and false promises about plans to cut public spending; still, the cost associated with the running of government in Nigeria is far higher than most countries in the same economy bracket.

“The wasteful spending of those elected to oversee the affairs of running our government is a major contributor to the endemic poverty in Nigeria and the president should be concerned about the situation of the suffering masses and work hard to ensure that this situation improves for those affected (which is everyone by the way).

“Nigeria has a poverty rate of 38.9%, and approximately 87 million Nigerians live below poverty line and the reason can easily be attributed to incompetent and clueless leaders who have done nothing to improve the lives of the masses.

“Nigeria’s economic growth has been slow, and the country’s GDP per capita has been flat because successive government policies have failed to address the problems due to lack of foresight and corrupt public officials.

“Corruption is a pervasive issue in Nigeria, and it discourages foreign investment and hinders economic development. I am referring to corruption in public office by government officials who have been involved in stealing public funds meant to benefit the people.

“What has Tinubu done to tackle that since his assumption of office and he is talking about ordinary citizens whose take home pay is not enough to help them meet a good standard of living.”

Gov Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has called for the audit of local government accounts in the state.

The directive was issued by Governor Fubara on Wednesday, after swearing in new caretaker chairmen for the 23 local government areas of the state.

The governor inaugurated the new caretaker chairmen hours after the House of Assembly, led by factional Speaker, Victor Jumbo, screened and approved the nominees sent on Tuesday.

While swearing in the Caretaker Committee Chairmen of the Local Government Areas, the governor said the measure is intended to serve as a check for the incoming officials.

He urged the caretaker chairmen not to see themselves as superheroes, but to protect the interests of their people, and demonstrate that the government made the right choice in appointing them.

He emphasised that the current events are a product of democracy.

Fubara explained that the fight against tenure extension is not just about the state, but the entire country, as allowing it in one state could lead to it being replicated nationwide.

He pointed out that Rivers State was not doing anything unusual, as most states in the country are also run by caretaker committees.

He, however, cautioned that their tenure would not be excessively long, because the process for local government area elections would commence soon.

He warned against violence, stating that it is not his approach, urging the officials to sort out the salaries and entitlements of the outgone chairmen.
 

The Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has formally distanced itself from the views expressed by the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, over the purchase of new jets for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The group insisted that the safety and security of the nation’s leaders must be treated as a paramount issue.

Speaking via a statement released on Tuesday amid the ongoing controversy, Secretary-General Okechukwu Isiguzoro asserted that Obi’s opinion does reflect the collective stance of the Igbo Nation as embodied by Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Isiguzoro highlighted that the current Presidential fleet, acquired over two decades ago during the Obasanjo administration, poses significant security risks and could hinder the President and Vice President in performing essential duties.

The statement said, “While we acknowledge Mr. Obi’s concerns about Nigeria’s economic challenges and the necessity to tackle pressing issues like insecurity, poverty, and hunger, Ohanaeze Ndigbo firmly believes that the safety and security of our nation’s leaders must take precedence.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo wholeheartedly supports the Federal Government’s decision to procure new Presidential jets to ensure the safety of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima.

“The organization recognized Obi’s genuine concerns for the Nigerian populace and his aspirations for economic improvement, urging him to collaborate with President Tinubu to provide constructive input and support for policies aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by citizens.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo remains committed to fostering unity, progress, and the well-being of all Nigerians. We firmly believe that through cooperation, we can work towards a brighter future for our nation.”