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Israel and Hezbollah Agree to Ceasefire as Lebanon Faces Post-War Reconstruction
A ceasefire agreement has been reached to end months of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israel set to gradually withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon over the next 60 days. The Lebanese Army and state security forces will take control of the region, President Joe Biden announced.
The conflict, which began on October 8, 2023, has displaced over 300,000 Lebanese and forced 70,000 Israelis to live as refugees in their own country. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the deal, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense if the truce is violated.
In a joint statement, Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for enforcing the agreement and strengthening Lebanon’s Armed Forces, alongside initiatives for the country’s economic recovery.
Hezbollah, which did not directly participate in the negotiations mediated by Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, has yet to issue a statement on the truce.
The conflict has claimed the lives of at least 3,768 Lebanese and injured 15,699, leaving Lebanon grappling with the aftermath of war.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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