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11-year-old spends $44 million on Dubai homes

Posted by Jane Okinedo on March 5, 2010 at 2:32am

Boy’s shopping spree puts spotlight on alleged corruption in Azerbaijan

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Even by the standards of a city that celebrates extravagance, it was a spectacular shopping spree: In just two weeks early last year, an 11-year-old boy from Azerbaijan became the owner of nine waterfront mansions.

The total price tag: about $44 million -- or roughly 10,000 years' worth of salary for the average citizen of Azerbaijan. But the preteen who owns a big chunk of some of Dubai's priciest real estate seems to be anything but average.

His name, according to Dubai Land Department records, is Heydar Aliyev, which just happens to be the same name as that of the son of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev. The owner's date of birth, listed in property records, is also the same as that of the president's son



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Obafemi Martins 3Trillion Naira Jamboree Extravaganza Lifestyle

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on November 21, 2009 at 6:00am
It has been revealed how Super Eagles striker, Obafemi Martins, extranvagantly squandered about N3.1 trillions while a player of Newcastle.MartinsadvertisementHis former management company, NVA Management Limited who has dragged the player to court over breach of contarct, told the jury how the player’s account almost went red because of his lifestyle.Obafemi Martins was paid £75,000, but allegedly squandered the earnings on an extravagant lifestyleA former Premiership footballer routinely blew his £75,000 a week wages in a matter of days and was constantly overdrawn, a court was told yesterday.Obafemi, ex-Newcastle striker 25, was paid the handsome salary after he joined the club for a £10million fee in August 2006.But despite his extraordinary earnings, his former management team yesterday claimed they repeatedly bailed him out after his bank account continually slipped into the red.The High Court heard that the Nigerian international player would withdraw £40,000 in cash from his bank account at the end of the week.But that would only last him two days, the court heard, as he topped up with a further £25,000 on the Monday morning.He was always overdrawn and repeatedly relied upon NVA Management Limited to ‘manage his life’, the High Court was told.Martins, who owned several fast cars including a top of the range Porsche 4X4, spent the money funding an extravagant lifestyle of luxurious penthouse homes and fine dining.He is now being sued by his former management company which claims that he still owes them 300,000 for sorting out his finances.He told the court that Martins would withdraw £40,000 for the weekend, followed by another £25,000 on the Monday.‘Despite earning these vast sums of money he was constantly overdrawn,’ added Mr Tennink.He said the firm, which looks after the affairs of several footballers, film and music stars, said that Martins had agreed to pay them for simply managing his life.It was under their stewardship that Martins agreed a £2million image rights deal ‘simply for being Mr Martins’.It’s claimed Martins was constantly overdrawn despite earning £75,000-a-weekHe also had lucrative sponsorship deals with various companies including Pepsi and Nike but had not been paid.When the company stepped in to run his affairs they sorted the unpaid contracts, bringing in thousands of pounds.They also organised visas when he travelled to Italy, where he once played for Inter Milan, and sorted out his passport, his mortgage and property valuations.They even arranged critical illness cover and were constantly running up and down the motorway from their London offices to Newcastle in a bid to do all that he required.‘But surely these were things a secretary could do?’ asked Judge Richard Seymour QC, referring to the size of fees charged.‘It was a Jeeves-type of role that they performed.’Mr Tennink protested that managing every aspect of his life was just part of what they did, and asked the judge to bear in mind the sort of figures these players earned.He said Martins had come to them in July 2007 and had agreed a fee of around £300,000 plus 20 per cent of any sponsorship monies they managed to acquire on his behalf.“He asked for these services to be carried out,” Mr Tennink told the court.Before they managed his affairs, Martins had not been paid a penny for his image rights for the use of his name on Newcastle shirts and mugs and had received nothing from his sponsorship deals.He could not even find the contracts he had originally signed, Mr Tennink added.Martins paid the company £67,500 in January last year and another £25,000 in April last year.But the question for the court to decide, said Mr Tennink, was whether there was a ‘binding obligation’ for him to pay the outstanding bill of over £300,000.After Newcastle were relegated from the Premiership last summer Martins was sold for £9million to German Bundesliga Champions Wolfsburg.Martins, who once owned a penthouse apartment overlooking Newcastle’s exclusive Quayside, is fighting the claim.The hearing is scheduled to last for three days.
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You have no reason not to work for humanity

Posted by Mikky Webs on August 24, 2009 at 5:19am
We all are called to do the work of charity. In this case, there is no barrier and by that I mean how much you have. Sometimes we think it’s meant for those who have enough but let it be clear that human wants are insatiable for even the rich are still wanting for more wealth like the famous Oliva Twist. Charity as the Holy bible says covers a multitude of sin. This implies that God Almighty has every authority to forgive our iniquities just because we partake in the work of helping humanity (i.e. charity). Again, it does not mean we frequently sin and then take the antidote ‘charity work’ to cancel our debt. Not at all, we are made special by the creator of all things to control the environment we live in. You are never on your own as you cannot do without the other, so no man is an island. Something came to mind when I am concluding this writing about the parable of the rich fool in the bible who parked his rich harvests in the stores and was throwing party. He never woke up the next day as God demanded his soul. If one keeps wanting and remained insatiable in life, he may get full satisfaction in the grave and who knows what next?Today we have charity organizations, philanthropists and international bodies doing the work of charity. The common truth here is that they are not paid back reason because the clients are not poised to pay, instead they reap and that’s practical love. The work of charity does far more than donation. Charity in our various homes gives rise to a better society because the home is the fundamental part of the society where various characters abound. Contributing partially or immensely in moral upbringing of people around you is charity as well. This time around is it more than making donations as money could not buy you life; life eternal. Let’s build our homes with charity and love so that the society will improve. Helping others morally is very important while giving alms is nice as well but let’s merge the two (i.e. helping morality and doing almsgiving). If I keep giving to someone without giving morals or exhibiting true love through character, the beneficiaries see it as ordinary thing. Please note that the author is writing with experience using the teachings of Christ Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Here he refers to the feeding of the 5000 men by Christ Jesus. At first they love listening to his sermons, secondly he performed miracles but Christ himself feeling for them demanded that a miracle be made and that was the multiplication of few loafs of bread. Remark that he (Jesus Christ) fed the moral food first before the perishable bread.Like the author stated initially, we are all stakeholders in the work of charity. There should not be excuses here because you are given all it takes to exercise your right as real humans. Your conscience tells you better when you are doing anything to salvage the world. No matter how little you have, ensure you share with others. See that the candle does not lose any light igniting the other candle as so is charity. Give and you receive.
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