Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN)  received the Nursery two pupils of Corona Day Nursery School, Ikoyi on a visit, mentoring the young ones on virtues of studying hard, obeying their parents and listening to their teachers.
Governor Fashola who received the pupils who were accompanied by their teachers at the Conference Room of the Lagos House, Ikeja also read the fictional novel- Jack and the Bean Stalk to the children while interacting with them in a stimulating way.
He recalled that as a child, he was also taught by a teacher just as the pupils are now being taught, saying they must always listen to their teachers and guard against taking things from strangers or talking to them.

•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, (middle), interacting with pupils of Corona Day Nursery Schools, Ikoyi, during a courtesy visit to the Governor at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday.

The Governor who also took time to field questions from the children said his choice of law as a profession was informed by a number of reasons one of which had to do with the wish of his grandmother who wanted him to take up the responsibility of managing her real estate because the lawyer she engaged before was making money out of her.
Speaking on why he did not study abroad, the Governor said the education system in Nigeria was very good then and he saw no reason in going abroad, adding that currently the state government appreciates the contribution of private schools like the Corona Schools and Public Schools towards helping to reposition education in the country.
He explained that he did not study abroad also because he did not like the weather in Europe and believed that Lagos and Nigeria are the best place to be.
Responding to a question on why he does not celebrate his birthdays, the Governor explained that the approach to celebration is that he does not believe in dressing up flamboyantly and throwing parties for a birthday but would prefer to be free to do what he wants on his birthday.
He explained in response to another question that he cannot be described as an accidental Governor because his becoming a Governor was not against his will noting that he was rather encouraged to take up the responsibility, stressing that he would  prefer to be described as a lucky Governor.
On why he is not a teacher, the Governor said as a student, there were so many good teachers available then and he felt that the good teachers would be there forever , adding that in the course of his life, he has tried to teach by helping people to learn.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Corona Day Nursery School, Ikoyi, Mrs Esther Abakasanga said the pupils and Corona School management were indeed privileged to have been granted access by the Governor to see the pupils.
She added that the visit is like a completion process for the kids as each of their classes are adorned with the picture of the Governor but that by having a personal encounter with the Governor, the Corona School is bringing the learning to life for the children.
She added that Corona Schools also believes in serving its host communities in a special way, stressing that in the seven locations where the school is located, the institution has adopted state schools.
The children who had earlier recited the National Anthem and the Pledge also sang a birthday song for the Governor who recently celebrated his 50th birthday and also presented him with birthday cards while they were also presented with gifts by the Governor.
The event was witnessed by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye and other aides of the Governor.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said he will abide by the dictates of the Nigerian Constitution which he swore to and not the laws of any European country or the whims of some activists.
The governor said the international community cannot dictate to Nigeria on which values it should adhere to.
He said there is so much hypocrisy by the international community on the issue of human rights.
Speaking at a one-day seminar on the Role of the Public Complaints Commission in a Democratic Government in Nigeria, Oshiomhole said Nigeria as a sovereign nation has a right to define its own national values.
He said: “Nigeria is a sovereign nation and we have a right to define what we regard as our own national values. No national interest is defined by others.
“As we speak, nations and humans are involved in the battle of ideas on the basis of different value systems and it will be an abuse of my own value system if someone chooses to assume that his values are superior to mine.
“I am part of the international community and my views should carry as much weight as the views of any other person in the international community, we cannot assume that the views from London are shared by Abuja.
“As a Catholic, I am more fanatical about the sanctity of life. The foundation for human rights is the rule of law, not rule of resolution, not rule of communiqué; not rule of recommendations.
“When I was sworn in I swore to the oath that I will obey the constitution. There is no suggestion that I shall obey the United Nations (UN) resolution or the European Union that has not been domesticated by the Nigerian government. I do understand that there is no such thing as universal values.”
The governor noted that more than half of the states in the United States still subscribe to the death penalty “and we have not heard the EU say anything about them”.
Oshiomhole argued that Nigerian values are not less elegant, less human and therefore not less acceptable.
“In trying to understand how best to protect the sanctity of human life, if you carry out an act and you confess to it, you shall go. You have no right to tell me that your values are superior to mine,” he said.
Oshiomhole added: “Now they are canvassing same sex marriage. If they think it is right to marry a man in the West, we think it is a crime to marry a man in Africa. African values are superior to European values and we have to push for them to interrogate their own values.”
He advised the international community to recognise that Nigeria is not part of the European community.

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CRIME

CHRISTIAN leaders, yesterday, opposed the Federal Government’s plan to offer unconditional amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect, describing it as a misplaced priority and an unjust cause.
This came even as there is skepticism within the military circle that the amnesty will work out, adding that it may turn out to be a colossal failure and the Federal Government may end up embarrassing itself over its non workability.

The Christian leaders asked the government to take urgent steps to compensate and resettle victims of Boko Haram attacks instead of wasting time and resources on a matter that would not yield any positive results at the end of the day.
According to the leaders, the Federal Government was committing a suicide mission by attempting to appease the sect members without their readiness to surrender arms and seek peace with the rest of the society.
They also stated that granting amnesty to the sect would amount to injustice and encouragement to other criminally-minded groups to strike and seek reward from the government.
The Prelate of Methodist Church of Nigeria,  Dr Sunday Ola Makinde, in an exclusive interview with newsmen was of the opinion that granting amnesty to the sect was like putting the cart before the horse and a step in the wrong direction.
Makinde noted: “They are talking about amnesty without saying anything about their victims. They are still killing people even as the government is fine-tuning ways for amnesty.
“I am not comfortable with the government’s decision because they are putting the cart before the horse. Why can’t we first of all dialogue with these people and find out their grievances? The only thing that I read in the paper is that they want to Islamize Nigeria; we know that there are other grievances, which should be known before amnesty is given by the government.
“Then, before amnesty is granted we want to know what they will do for the family of the widows and widowers, their places they have destroyed, what are they going to do for the victims and so on. Amnesty is not the issue now, but how to ameliorate the suffering of the victims.
“So, setting up any committee for amnesty without first looking into how the victims could be compensated is injustice, and if there is no justice there will be no peace.
“As condition for peace, we need dialogue; dialogue will lead them to know the group’s grievances and how to go about it. They are politicizing it and we need to be careful, if we are not, it may lead us to unpalatable end.”
Also speaking, the Bishop of Kubwa Anglican Diocese, the Rt Rev. Duke Akamisoko, threw his weight behind any initiative to bring lasting solution to the security challenges plaguing the north but warned against the offer of amnesty to the sect.
“While we are looking at how to solve the problem, the terminology, amnesty, is what I’m not comfortable with. If the government wants to speak with them to know their grievances, fine!  But I don’t agree that they should be granted amnesty because of the level of havoc committed by these persons without any remorse. What about the Christians who were slaughtered by the sect? What about the churches that were burnt and destroyed?” Akamisoko asked.
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