The immediate past governor of Lagos State and minister designate, 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 mobilized others in the name of justice.”
