The Federal Executive Council today expressed displeasure over the media coverage of the bomb blast in Nyanya, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory.
This was disclosed by the minister of Information, Labaran Maku who said Council was particularly disturbed about the ways the mass media displayed the gory scenes of the blast, describing it is very insensitive and against professional ethics, calling for restrain in reporting such incidence in future.
“Let me also say that we observe with regret that inspite of the great job the media has continue to do, we saw that the way this incident was reported in the last two days has been very insensitive.
“The council noted and this is very unprofessional that the papers and most of the television stations just unleashed on Nigerians gory details of pictures that should never have been published on the basis of humanity, on the basis of professional ethics, and the basis of feelings for the sensibilities of our people.
“We saw on some pages of newspapers the remains of shredded dead bodies printed on the pages of newspapers, this doesn’t happen anywhere in the world because journalism has responsibility to the sensibility of people.
“Newspapers, televisions are watched by children and minors and it is expected that in cases like this, that professional training, commitment, should be upper most in the way we report. We continue to urge the media that yes we expect that whatever happens must be reported but in reporting we must show extra care for the psychology health of our citizens and the image of our nation. So those gory pictures that were just splashed on the front pages of newspapers and even the inner pages as well as on television screens, we collectively feel that should never have been the case.
“You will notice that throughout the 9/11 incident in the United States, hardly was any picture shown of the victims. It shows disrespect for the dead and disrespect for the living, and it showed absolute lack of sensitivity to the health of members of the public. So we continue to urge that in fighting terror, all of us have a role to play. The media is doing a good job but there is a need not to overlook the details of professional commitment and in the face if emotion just pour out things ordinarily that minors and even adult who have high sensitivity should not see”, he said.
On the issue of death toll on the blast, the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, disclosed that 75 died while 171 victims receiving treatments in various hospitals.
He also announced that the FCT will pick the bill of those under treatments in the various hospitals, adding that the FCT was fully prepared to close the gaps in the security system.
“Now we will make it very difficult for people with bad intensions to penetrate our parks. Certainly, we are going to bring bomb detectors and we are going to work with our security to guide us on how to make our schools, parks, markets and other public places safe for our people”
Bala also disclosed that the FCT will bring in about 100 new buses of the high capacity type so that the incidence does not affect the movements of people and goods, adding that government cannot source all the buses from the country.
He also disclosed that the FCT will install CCTV in other parts of the federal capital as well as detective devices inside the new buses being purchased.
“We have noticed that these people have changed their strategies and we also have to change our strategies to protect our people”.
He also noted that 47 motor cycles, 27 mass transit buses were destroyed during the Nyanya attacks.
Also speaking, the Health Minister of State, Alhassan, disclosed that the major challenge was the issue of getting blood for the victims, urging more Nigerians to go to the blood bank and donate blood.
He noted that permission have been given to relatives of the victims to carry the bodies of those who died during the incidence.
He also disclosed that government was doing everything to ensure that the information given out about the dead victims were the accurate.
