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Group tasks religious leaders, adherents on Godly character

National Association For The Study Of Religions And Education (NASRED) has called on religious leaders and their adherents to be models and light, by exhibiting godly character

National Association For The Study Of Religions And Education (NASRED) has called on religious leaders and their adherents to be models and light, by exhibiting godly character, as set out in the Holy Writ.

In a communiqué by NASRED’s President, Dr Azeez Asif Olatubosun, and Secretary, Dr. (Mrs.) H. T. K. Ishola, at the end of its five-day conference at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, NASRED further said it is essential for parents and guardians to be proactive and wake up to their responsibility of paying keen attention and surveillance on their wards in the use of social media.

NASRED also recommended that youths of the three main religions in Nigeria should shun all forms of ungodly addictions and be determined to stay pure, even online.

“The government and communication agencies, on the other hand, should take responsibilities to meticulously censor and monitor the contents of various social media outlets to ameliorate and forestall social media abuse.

“Religious and theology educators should come up with pragmatic approaches on ways to salvage wrong use of Social Media through provocative teachings/or preaching.”

The participants observed that social media has become a veritable global channel of communication in the contemporary period, just as there is virtually nothing wrong with social media as a medium of communication, but many things are wrong with its users through manipulations.

They also observed that there is widespread misuse of social media, especially among youths, religious and political leaders, noting that most parents and guardians handle the use of social media by their children and wards with a lackadaisical attitude, without proper monitoring.

“The government and communication agencies are not well disposed to regulation and censor of the contents of various social media outlets. This is observed as a major factor that makes social media porous.”

The conference also noted the abuse of social media, which it said includes its use for advance free-fraud known as “yahoo- yahoo”, watching pornographic pictures and other sexually provoking pictures and films.

“The use of provocative languages for preaching and dissemination of religious messages and propagating hate speech, which engenders political crisis and acrimony among the populace, should be avoided.”

The conference, themed: Religion, Education and Social Media were declared open by the chief host, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Anthony Enisan Akinlo. The 34th annual conference was the 4th International and the first hybrid Conference of the Association. The keynote address was by Professor Dapo Asaju, former Vice-Chancellor, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo; the lead paper was titled: Religion as the essence of Human Creation by Professor Lateef, O. Abass from the University of Ibadan, while the second lead paper titled: Islamic view on Peaceful Co-Existence of Various Religions in Nigeria was by Dr. Abdul Malik Ahmed from the Islamic Science University of Malaysia through virtual medium.

NASRED is an academic conference association of lecturers from colleges of education, universities and other tertiary institutions across the country.

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