The immediate past governor of Lagos State and ministerial nominee, Babatunde Raji Fashola will on Monday be conferred with award by International Crisis Group (ICG), a worldwide conflict prevention group.

Other six exceptional personalities will also be conferred with the awards.

The ICG annual award, will be held in New York, in the United States.

In a statement by ICG, Stephen J. Solarz, the award will be given to Fashola “for his commitment to resolving social, economic and security challenges in one of the world’s most challenging urban environments.”

Founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, will also bag an award for what ICG noted as “his visionary reshaping of private sector initiatives to promote peace, human rights and sustainable development.”

Another awardee, is former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, who is said to merit the award for her “exemplary efforts to prevent conflict and mass atrocities, alleviate suffering during the Balkan crisis, and protect refugees worldwide.”

For their “unwavering dedication to pluralism, inclusion and compromise during Tunisia’s democratic transition” according to ICG, President Béji Caïd Essebsi of Tunisia and Nahdha Party leader, Rached Ghannouchi, were also among the awardees.

Former Italian Foreign Minister, Emma Bonino is also to be given award for her “tireless role in de-escalating tensions and promoting peace.”

Other awardees include former Australian Foreign Minister who is also the pioneer President of ICG, Gareth Evans, for promoting principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P).

ICG’s President, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, who announced the 2015 awards in Brussels, Belgium, said “each award goes to a pioneer of peace, to a relentless fighter for the improvement of people’s lives, to someone who has built bridges, believed in change and mobilised others in the name of justice.”

AUGUST 10, 2011

The Lagos deal would be the first of its kind for the TTC. Decommissioned cars are usually sold for scrap metal and can fetch up to $1,500 dollar each. While Ross declined to discuss specific figures, he says the sticker price for Lagos is "significantly more" than scrap prices, putting the potential profits to the TTC in the millions of dollars.

It is not unusual for technology from western nations to end up in poorer countries. Marketplaces in Africa and Asia are flooded with North American clothes, computers, and even cars, but the purchase of larger technology like trains is rarer.

The cars will have to be significantly refurbished to fit existing infrastructure in Lagos, and some Nigerian media reports have lamented that the government appears to have settled on "tokundo," or used, trains instead of brand new vehicles.

Although half the cars are more than 30 years old, Ross is adamant they are perfectly safe and are only being decommissioned for capacity reasons. But he also admitted the TTC is not required to make sure the cars meet any safety standards before selling them.

"Once sold, it's up to the new operator to ensure they are in good working order," he said. "They do need to be maintained much more frequently than the new trains, simply because of their age. At some point they will run out their useful life."

Murtaza Haider, director of the Institute of Housing and Mobility at Ryerson University, said the age of the cars is definitely a cause for concern.

"We should be ensuring that there is some service life left in these vehicles and we're not going to be playing havoc with the lives of those who would ride these vehicles," Haider said. "There's metal fatigue, and that metal fatigue could result in dangerous conditions. I would be paying a close watch on this for the next ten years to see how many accidents do happen in Lagos."

More from: https://nowtoronto.com/news/next-stop-nigeria/

Lagos light rail’ll be ready in June – Fashola
JANUARY 9, 2013

The Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola on Tuesday said the first phase of the state Blue Light Rail project would be completed by June this year(2013).

He expressed confidence that Lagosians would start enjoying the services of the lrail project immediately.

The first phase would run from Marina and terminated at Okokomaiko area in Ojo Local Government.

Fashola spoke during an inspection of ongoing projects in the state which took him and his cabinet members to Orile-Iganmu, Alimosho and Ejigbo areas among others to assess the level of works being done by contractors.

The governor, who inaugurated the trackwork of the blue light rail at Alaba Suru, Coker-Agunda Local Council Development Area, said the level of work on the road and those of the National Theatre and Alaba-Mile 2 rail stations, would ensure early completion

He said, “In order to finish the project, the contractor did not go on vacation during the festive period. This will ensure that the project is delivered on time for the use of Lagosians.

More from: http://www.punchng.com/news/lagos-light-railll-be-ready-in-june-fashola/

How We Spent N160bn World Bank Loan on Light Rail Project
11 Sep 2014
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He, therefore, explained that the state government already “has in place, strategies to repay the loan. The federal government was in the know of the state’s decision to take the bond and it approved it.”

He added that the truth “is that what they do not also say is that no state in Nigeria can borrow money outside, from any multilateral agencies without the approval of the federal government.

“What they did not say is that they approved it. No state can raise money by bond the way we have done without the federal government’s approval. Both SEC and NSE are all federal regulatory agencies through which we must pass. If they said okay, it means there must be something good about the debt.

More from: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lagos-how-we-spent-n160bn-world-bank-loan-on-light-rail-project/188736/

Why I reached out to Igbo voters –Ambode, Lagos APC governorship candidate
APRIL 4, 2015
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When is the light rail going to be delivered, the project seems to be going on for years?

I just said it, it’s being funded by Lagos State and the Federal Government support is not there. But I believe strongly that we will create a financial restructuring that will allow us to deliver that light rail within the next 18 months.

More from: http://www.punchng.com/feature/hotseat/why-i-reached-out-to-igbo-voters-ambode-lagos-apc-governorship-candidate/

francoray:
That's my governor that refused to sign cheque

Keneking:
Amazing...

Nigerian students won't see this...but if it is questionable character like Kas....they would gladly give recognition.

How many awards does Fayose, Peter Obi, Akpabio, Wike, Mimiko, Babangida possess in total?

anonimi:
They award to CORRUPT people


* Four years ago, with plenty fanfare, our former gomina (governor) waka go Toronto for inspect and buy aloku scrap metal trains =>

Abani je.With all these thesis you managed to get just one SHARE and no LIKE .You try!





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* In January 2013, i.e. some two years after the Toronto visit, our "excellent" former governor said the trains will be ready by June, i.e. five months after the unsolicited statement, based on his inspection & assessment of work done so far at the time =>












* Last year, our fine-boy-no-pimples former Misita Gomina confessed he had already spent a whopping sum of N160 billion on the light rail that was supposed to be in use since June 2013. Depending on the exchange rate he used that could be $1 billion to $1.2 billion spent






As of today, we nor see train, even sef all the billion, billion $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ don disappear enter Toronto. We prayer be sey make dem nor turn around small time sey na bad business like the N8 billion Sunborn floating hotel

In fact the new governor, Ambode now dey tell us sey na to restructure the financing and delivery will be in 18 months time. Laakulilai, we don suffer finish in the hands of these SCAM masters and smooth operators =>






Una wey sabi financial management small go know sey the man just dey tell us sey money don finish dem must BORROW plenty $$$$$$$$$$$ loan again to have any hope whatsoever of using the trains in 18 months lohun lohun far away longest time!
Can anyone reconcile the fact that the federal government approved LASG's World Bank loan for this project yet the new governor dey spin us long tales of no federal support. He must think we are all baby pikins wey mama fit tell FAKE tory

kunyeo:
Abani je.With all these thesis you managed to get just one SHARE and no LIKE .You try!