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No One Can Send Us Out Of Ondo Forests, Miyetti Allah Dares Akeredolu

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Bello Bodejo, the national president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, says nobody can chase herdsmen away from the forest reserves in Ondo state.

On Monday, Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, ordered herders to vacate the forest reserves over rising insecurity in the state.

Akeredolu had said “bad elements” have turned the forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating ransom, and carrying out other criminal activities.

The governor’s directive sparked mixed reactions, with Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, saying Akeredolu cannot unilaterally oust thousands of herders “who have lived all their lives in the state”.

The Northern Elders Forum also asked the herders in the state to disregard Akeredolu’s order.

In an interview with The Sun Newspaper, Bodejo said the herders will not obey Akeredolu’s directive because he has no right to issue such orders, as the Fulanis have been in the area for over 250 years.

He said the herders do not need anybody’s permission to use a forest for grazing so far as it provides the nutrients needed by their cattle.

“The Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, doesn’t have any right to give such ultimatum to our people. People, including Fulani, voted for him to be the governor; so he should be the governor of everybody in the state,” he said.

“Fulani have been in the forests he is talking about even before he was born; they have been there for over 250 years. After staying there for a long time and their cow dung turns the place fertile, people would begin to come there to farm and to settle and from then, they begin to make claims that our cattle were destroying their farms.

“We are suing the governor and seeking an injunction restraining him and others from carrying out his threat. But even at that, nobody, no power can send the herdsmen out of Ondo state.

“No herdsman will obey the governor. The herdsmen will not step an inch out of Ondo forests; they are going nowhere. We won’t obey the governor; it is only the constitution of Nigeria that we obey.

“All the lands in this country belong to the Fulani, but we don’t have any business to do with the land if it doesn’t have areas for grazing. If the land doesn’t have cow food, we won’t have any business with it.

“What we consider are the areas that have cow food. If the place is good for grazing, we don’t need anybody’s permission to go there.

“Fulani can settle in any bush or forest they want the moment they have cows. Any person who thinks he owns any forest should be taken to a psychiatric hospital. Nobody owns any forest; forests are for Nigerians.”

Bodejo said the governor just needed an excuse to drive out the Fulanis from the state since the criminals are not from the ethnic group.

He alleged that Akeredolu’s “ulterior motive” could be for his 2023 political ambition.

“People are using propaganda to spoil Fulani’s name, and desperate politicians are in the forefront,” he said.

“The Ondo state governor has a secret agenda for asking our people to leave his state, not the reasons he stated. It is possible that Akeredolu is fighting a political battle. It may be the 2023 election, and that is why he is playing up this Fulani herdsmen issue.”

BIG STORY

Revenue Growth Yet To Translate Into Better Living Conditions — Peter Obi To Tinubu

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Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has challenged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the country’s recently achieved revenue growth delivers visible improvements in citizens’ lives.

Reacting to Tinubu’s announcement that Nigeria hit its 2025 revenue target by August, Obi congratulated the president but stressed: “If indeed the economy stabilises as you declared, then Nigerians must feel it in their daily lives.”

He added that economic stability must be reflected in tangible outcomes: “Borrowings must stop now. Huge contractors’ bills, which are still owed, should be paid, and critical underfunded projects must now be funded.”

Obi lamented the dire state of public services, noting: “True economic stability is not in figures announced at press conferences, but in classrooms where children learn, in well-equipped labs, and in hospitals where citizens can receive quality care.”

He called on the government to channel the surplus revenue transparently into priority sectors—particularly education, healthcare, and poverty reduction—within the remaining four months of the year.

Obi emphasised the need for measurable results, warning: “Anything less will mean that revenue growth has not translated into national growth. Nigerians deserve to see the impacts of this touted revenue growth.”

He concluded with a statement of hope: “A new Nigeria is possible.”

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BIG STORY

Oil Price Falls To $66 Per Barrel Ahead Of OPEC+ Meeting

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Oil prices declined to around $66 per barrel as traders grew concerned about potential increases in OPEC+ production, which could exacerbate a supply surplus, according to price watchers and analysts.

Market sentiment was weighed down by expectations that the upcoming OPEC+ meeting, scheduled for Sunday, may result in additional output increases. This possibility comes amid a trend of rising inventories in the U.S., including a recent unanticipated build of 622,000 barrels—contrary to forecasts of a 2 million barrel draw .

Brent crude slipped to approximately $67.14 per barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped to about $63.50, reflecting the mounting pressure on oil prices as the market braces for a shift toward oversupply .

A note from ANZ Research warned that any further increase in OPEC+ supply could deepen the already threatened surplus, especially during a demand-light season . HSBC analysts echoed the sentiment, suggesting that OPEC+ appears comfortable with oil prices trading in the $60–$65 per barrel range as part of a strategic move to reclaim market share.

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Nigeria Now Respected Globally, Years Of Corruption Reversed By Reforms —- Tinubu

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President Bola Tinubu says the reforms implemented by his administration have restored Nigeria’s credibility abroad and curbed years of entrenched corruption.

Speaking on Tuesday at the State House while receiving the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, and other traditional rulers, Tinubu said the country had regained global respect due to tough but necessary policy changes.

“Years of neglect, fake records, smuggling and other harmful practices denied Nigeria the revenue needed for development. The bleeding has stopped. The haemorrhage is gone. The patient is alive,” the president said.

Tinubu listed the removal of fuel subsidies and currency unification among reforms that he said were stabilising the economy and opening Nigeria to foreign investors. He added that the federal government would continue to focus on education, citing the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a tool to ensure no student drops out due to poverty.

The president insisted that the challenges facing the nation were not insurmountable, stressing that transparency and fiscal discipline would remain central to his government’s agenda.

Officials and foreign observers have in recent months echoed similar sentiments, with international rating agencies revising Nigeria’s outlook upwards and global institutions such as the World Bank commending the country’s policy direction.

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