Lagos, Nigeria - Recent

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠After achieving her dream of becoming a driver for Lagos' first light rail system, Omotosho Tofunmi Omotola expressed deep passion for her work helping to facilitate travel across the city.

With a population of over 15 million, Lagos in southwestern Nigeria is vibrant, busy and jammed with traffic. Congestion has been somewhat eased, however, since the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line corridor was put into operation in September 2023, spanning 13 kilometers and covering five stations.

Built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, it is a symbolic project of the Belt and Road Initiative and the first electrified railroad and cross-sea light rail project in West Africa.

Omotola is an operator for the light rail, a dream job that has finally come true for her.

The light rail has been an instant hit, especially on weekdays during rush hours, as people from all walks of life in Lagos are eager to avoid congested roads.

In the beginning, Nigeria lacked trained rail technicians because there were no local programs for rail operation and management.

To address this, Nigerian and Chinese workers were paired together for skill tutoring. After six months of intensive training, Nigeria's first urban light rail can now be operated by local workers.

Shotlist:
Lagos, Nigeria - Recent:
1. Aerial shots of cityscape;
2. Various of pedestrians, traffic;
3. Various of light rail train pulling into station;
4. Various of light rail train driver Omotosho Tofunmi Omotola at work;
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Omotosho Tofunmi Omotola, light rail train driver (starting with shot 4):
"I watched the movies and I saw it on TV shows. So I was like, I am going to drive the train.";
6. Light rail train pulling into station;
7. Various of passengers getting on to train;
8. Rail track;
9. Passenger on train;
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Omotosho Tofunmi Omotola, light rail train driver:
"Anybody can take it, both the rich and the poor, there is no discrimination. Everybody are equal once you are on the train.";
11. Various of Omotola learning from Chinese technician;
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Omotosho Tofunmi Omotola, light rail train driver:
"Discipline. The Chinese people are very disciplined. Making me disciplined. You have to enjoy it. You have to have the passion for it. Because, if you don't have the passion for it, then you can get tired of it easily. So you have to have passion for it.";
13. Various of light rail train.

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