Bomb blast: Jonathan, Mark, Ekweremadu, Chime, NGE, others condemn bombings

Posted by admin Latest Politics Friday, April 27th, 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged media workers not to be dissuaded from carrying out their fearless campaign for peace, justice and equity as democracy cannot flourish without press freedom.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan condemned the bomb blasts, which occurred early yesterday in newspaper houses in Abuja and Kaduna.

The president, who, at the time of the blast, was attending an Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the situation in Mali and Guinea-Bissau, in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, described the attack as ignoble, misguided, horrendous and wicked.
Jonathan reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government (FG) to continue to uphold the constitutional rights to freedom of expression in general and of press freedom, pledging that criminal elements bent on instilling fear in the minds of Nigerians and foreigners would not succeed.

The president commiserated with the bereaved families and other innocent victims of the explosions, and prayed that Almighty God would grant them succour in their moment of grief and the souls of the departed, peaceful repose..
Senate President David Mark described the multiple blasts as an assault on the freedom of the press.
Mark, who received the news of the attacks with shock, charged the perpetrators of the evil acts to fear God.
He said the Federal Government’s doors were open at resolving any grievances with an assurance that the present administration was not resting on its oars at ensuring safety of lives and property of every Nigerian.

The Senate president called on media practitioners across the country not to be deterred by the blast.
He urged media practitioners to see the assault as a challenge and not to relent in the discharge of their duties as the watchdog of the society.
Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State also expressed sympathy with the management and staff of ThisDay Newspapers over yesterday’s bomb attack on its Abuja office that reportedly claimed one life and injured many others.
The governor, in a message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Chukwudi Achife, decried the continued attacks on innocent citizens more especially, those going about their legitimate duties.

Chime urged ThisDay not to be deterred by the latest incident but to continue render services to the nation through qualitative reporting. He extended his condolences to the injured and the family of the deceased while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to prevent future attacks. Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu similarly condemned the bomb attacks on Thisday and The Sun offices in Abuja and Kaduna state.

Ekweremadu, who described the attack as a grievous affront on the Nigerian people, urged citizens to unite in their resistance against all acts of terror. He also said the attack was dastardly, anti-cultural, and anti-Nigeria, and urged the media not to be cowed, but speak up against all acts of terrorism as Nigerians were in solidarity with them. The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) said the attacks on The Sun and ThisDay newspaper offices in Abuja and Kaduna are unfortunate and reprehensible because they are capable of driving fears down the spines of the media and close space for dialogue.

“When you attack the media the way ThisDay and The Sun attacks were done, freedom of speech, expression and thought come under assault and democracy is threatened. We hope that the perpetrators of the unfortunate acts of violence against the media realize this and know also that their case will ultimately be resolved through debate in the public space as promoted by the mass media.
“We commiserate with the ThisDay and The Sun newspapers and the families of those who lost their lives in the attacks. We call on the media to be vigilant and not to be intimidated. The media should continue to promote dialogue, not violence and self -help, as the basis for resolution of conflicts. Nigeria does not deserve to be turned into the Latin America of the fascist’s era, where disdainful attempts were made to cow the press.

“Our press is our strength and no one should destroy it through violence,” Gbenga Adefaye, president of the NGE said in a release. Former chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Lagos State chapter and presidential candidate of the union, Mrs Funke Fadugba, has commiserated with The Sun newspaper over the bombing of its office in Kaduna.
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, she said: “I join other well-meaning Nigerians to identify with the management and staff of The Sun newspaper on the bombing of your office in Kaduna. I pray God to console you at this moment.”
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has expressed his condolences to the management and staff of Leaders and Company Limited, publishers of THISDAY newspaper over bomb explosions, which rocked its Abuja and Kaduna offices and led to the loss of lives.

Also, the former Vice President expressed his sympathy and solidarity with the The Sun newspapers, which Kaduna office was affected, the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Union of Journalists over the dastardly act. According to him, “a situation whereby newspaper houses become the target of bomb attacks is not healthy for the social conscience of the society.” Recalling that the media had confronted military dictatorships and had been in the vanguard of enthroning democracy in Nigeria, the former vice president urged journalists, media practitioners and media owners not to be intimidated by this onslaught aimed at suppressing free media.

The Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi also condemned the attacks on the offices of some national newspapers yesterday, stating that the attacks, were an attempt at curtailing suppressing rising national anger against the unfavourable rebranding of the country as a terrorist outpost which the bombers have typecast the country.
According to Ajimobi, the attack on newspaper houses showed that the bombers were incensed at the popular anger against their nefarious activities which were being reported by the media.

The governor said it was extreme cowardice for the bombers to result to killing people and destroying properties, stating that valiant people confront issues rather than making issues out of matters that could be settled through dialogue.
The former governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, said the attack on The Sun and Thisday newspaper offices in Abuja and Kaduna were an attempt to silence and intimidate the media by cowards behind the series of bomb attacks in northern Nigeria.

While sympathizing with the publishers, management and staff of the two organisations, Saraki advised that no amount of intimidation should deter them from standing by the truth all the times and they should continue to be the voice for the voiceless.

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