On Thursday, February 27, Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State renamed a hall initially named after him to “Peace Hall’’, in memory of slain school children in Yobe.
On February 25, about 43 children of the Federal Government College, Burni Yadi, Yobe, were killed by members of the Boko Haram Sect.
Previously, the hall was named after Fashola by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). The hall was constructed by the Lagos Zonal Council of the NUPENG, located at Fadeyi in Lagos.
At the inauguration of the hall, Fashola said that he appreciated NUPENG’s gesture but still want to change the name to honour the slain secondary school students. Now the hall will be called 'Peace Hall.'
“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.
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