Fashola renames hall to honour slain Yobe students

Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, on Thursday renamed a hall initially named after him, to “Peace Hall’’, in memory of slain Yobe school children.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 43 children of the Federal Government College, Burni Yadi, Yobe, were killed by members of the Boko Haram Sect on Feb. 25.
NAN further reports that the renamed hall was constructed by the Lagos Zonal Council of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), located at Fadeyi in Lagos.
Fashola said at the inauguration of the hall earlier named after him by NUPENG that he changed the name to honour the slain secondary school students.
“I appreciate NUPENG’s gesture but I will rename this edifice `Peace Hall`,  in memory of the lives of the children that were brutally slain in Yobe by insurgents.
“The Children will soon be forgotten but as a reminder to us and the need to stand up for what is right, I ask that the hall be re-named as NUPENG’s Peace Hall, as we all search for peace across Nigeria,’’ Fashola said.
The governor described the Yobe incident as a moment of mixed feelings, when many parents were mourning the loss of their children.
“While we pray for the repose of the souls of these young ones, it is also a moment we must stand up as a nation.
“Whatever language you speak, whatever faith you practise, whatever ethnic/tribe you claim, this is the time it will not show.
“No matter how diverse we are, we are still one people, this is a time when colours and flag do not matter and political ideologies mean nothing.
“This is the time we must show and respect the values of the lives of fellow Nigerians’’ he said.
Speaking on incessant strikes in the country, Fashola urged NUPENG to ensure that due processes were followed before embarking on the actions.
“Most times, some workers do not even know the reason why they are called out on strike.
“Many a times, it is only the executives that decide to embark on strikes,’’ he said.
According to him, there is need for a voting process where a majority of the members must agree and must be sent to the management.
“My message is that at the end of the day, strikes do not pay; the people or the unions do not gain. We must all look for a win-win solution,’’ he said.
He, however, urged the union to champion the cause where petroleum products could be moved by rail, noting that the future of the oil and gas sector should not be about tankers and parking space, but using rail as a mode of transport.

NAN