Bishop Felix Ajakaye of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti on Sunday said social media and internet should be seen as a blessing tthat should be used to promote strong family bond and national development.
The bishop, who stated this at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Ado Ekiti; to commemorate this year’s World Communication Day, said the roles of media in the society could not be quantified.
The programme, a global celebration was to celebrate and acknowledge the great roles of the media in the growth and development of the society, particularly in the areas of informing, educating and entertaining the public.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “We are members of one another, (Eph. 4: 25) from Social Communities to the Human Communities”.
The bishop stressed the importance of unity and oneness among media professionals, and particularly among the people, hence the need for all Nigerians to be peaceful and shun divisive tendencies.
He stressed the need for media professionals and members of the public to act with the fear of God and desist from actions that could hurt their fellow human beings.
He called on the Federal and state governments to employ people with proven integrity into their cabinet without prejudice, adding that they must endeavor to run an all inclusive government.
He advised that the school feeding programme initiated by the Federal Government should be extended to private and mission schools.
He said this is because the children in those schools are citizens of the country whose parents also pay taxes to Government.
According him, the programme must be well coordinated in such a way that it must not serve the interest of only a few, but accommodate all and sundry.
He said limiting the school feeding to children in public schools would be a clear discrimination, hence, the need for necessary corrections.
The bishop commended the Ekiti State Government for the renovation of roads within Ado, but called for proper maintenance of various roundabouts.
The bishop urged people not to allow the things of the world to influence their lives particularly too much addiction to mobile phones.
According to him, some parents give more attention to their phones than their children which he described as worrisome.
He urged journalists to continue to play their roles of promoting news and programmes that would educate members of the public on moral and social behaviours.
Bishop Ajakaye blamed the various challenges and moral decadence in the society on the collapse of family structure, noting that most of those involved in criminal activities lacked proper upbringing and good family background.
In his remark, the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Values Orientation, Mr Muyiwa Olumilua, said that government would continue to partner with the media toward achieving the desire of building a better Ekiti.
He urged journalists to work together as one and play its role of building a better society. (NAN)
