Oakland’s City Council has voted that a Nigerian medical doctor, Matthew Bernard, and his wife will pay a fine of nearly $1m for felling 38 legally protected trees on and around their Claremont Avenue property in the United States.

A California-based media platform, KQED, reported that more than 20 residents at a public hearing on Tuesday demanded enforcement of Oakland’s tree protection laws.

They argued that the leafy canopies of the trees in the area were important for wildfire prevention, public health, and environmental equity.

Diaspora Tales reported last month that Bernard and his partner, Lynn Warner, said they removed trees from their property on an arborist’s advice.

At the hearing on Tuesday, the Nigerian medical expert told the council that the trees removed from his property nearly four years ago were “dead, dying, leaning,” or in “hazardous condition.”

The city, however, disagreed and fined Bernard and Warner $915,135.40 and placed a claim on their property that would prevent them from developing or selling the land until the fine was paid.

Defending the fine, a community tree specialist, Erys Gagnez, said, “Trees of that size are not commercially available for replacement. Even with replanting, it will take decades, even centuries, to restore the ecological and protective functions that were lost. The scale of the fine reflects this reality.”

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Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has announced an indefinite break from music.

During a recent livestream with Davrel, the OBO crooner told his fans not to expect new music from him anytime soon, stressing that he is on sabbatical.

Davido said he doesn’t need to release new music to remain relevant in the music industry, claiming that his songs are currently dominating club playlists.

“Stop asking me when I am dropping new music. I am on a musical break. Like I said if you go to the club right now, 10 out of 20 songs are mine. So I am on a musical break,” he said.

Davido also commented on the fledgling celebrity boxing tournament in Nigeria, describing it as a welcome development.

“I am actually impressed by the celebrity boxing tournament. It is a welcome development, ” he stated.

DAILY POST recalls that popular streamer Cater Efe recently dethroned controversial singer Portable as the reigning champion of Nigerian celebrity boxing tournament.

After his defeat, Portable accused his colleagues in the music industry of not being supportive, claiming that many dislike him.