Moral decadence in the society has been attributed to lack of proper upbringing and parental care.

Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu said this in Abeokuta, at the 2022 International Conference organised by the National Association for the Study of Religious and Education (NASRED), with the theme, “Perception Engineering in Religious Education in Nigeria”.

Arigbabu noted that the menace could be tackled when parents and the society were alive to their responsibilities, adding that teaching a child in the ways of God and living a life worthy of emulation as parents would be a more effective way of instilling good morals in the young ones.

“Parent should serve as moral compass, responsible for guiding their children to the right path and instilling good discipline in them. What we do as parents matters more to the children than what we tell them, many parents engage in unholy things and no matter how we try to hide it, our children see this and exhibit such behaviour”, he submitted.

Arigbabu urged participants to continue to preach love, religious tolerance and  exhibit good morals at all times irrespective of their religious beliefs for a better society.

In his remarks, the President, NASRED, Prof. Dairo Afolorunso said the programme was organised to enable scholars from all tertiary institutions address religious crises in the country and chart ways of learning to co-habit and live in love with one another.

Speaking earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Crescent University, Prof. Ibrahim Gbajabiamila enjoined  participants to ensure that cordial relationships exist among those who did not share the same religious belief.

In his presentation, the keynote speaker, Prof. Samuel Oladipo stated that characteristics and religious developmental process differs in individuals, emphasising the need to tolerate one another’s religion, promote love and peace.