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When academic training is trivialized: The agonies and pains of a Nigerian social work professional
IT was Sir Malthus who identified that nations fail to progress because they have an economy that grows arithmetically while population grows geometrically. Most definitely, a geometrically increasing population will be left with no choice but to scramble for the paltry proceeds of an arithmetically increasing economy. The end becomes a war of all against all where man becomes pathetically brutish and nasty as put forward by Thomas Hobbes. Vulnerability, poverty and deprivation would definitely become imminent, and then we wish for a change in government, miracles from God or sometimes, outright death.
No matter how difficult the world is and how pernicious the economy becomes, there are proven ways of survival. So we ask, why has Nigeria refused looking deep into history to see that nations progress because they achieve complementary significance between economic and social development? Why has Nigeria failed to consider through historical times the roles played by Rev. Sollys Charity Organisation Society and Jane Addams Settlement House in managing the pitiable social and economic consequences emanating from the industrial revolution? Why cant Nigeria ask itself, what should be so special about these people called social workers that developed nations and developing nations like South Africa and Ghana etc. have made an integral part of their development with the status of professionalization? Many questions can add to these being asked, but not many answers can be given.
In one of the defining moments in social work history that led to the professionalization of social work in the United States of America, Mary Richmond stated The question now is how to get educated young men and women to make a life vocation of being concerned with the needy, vulnerable and the oppressed to make a life vocation of charity work. Richmonds 1897 statement galvanized the establishment of Applied School of Philanthropy which provided the American social space with well-trained social workers in varying fields of social interest ranging from schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, social welfare agencies, prisons, juvenile courts, law courts, community centres, psychiatric facilities, old peoples homes, administration and policy, etc. Consequently, social work became sanctioned with a professional status by law during the early/mid-20th century in the USA. Same fate applied to the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and contemporary leading Asian and African nations like Singapore, India, Egypt, South Africa and Ghana.
Nigeria had a very strong social work base during the colonial era. In fact, the colonial masters ensured that they married three important areas of human welfare in order to preserve our society. These areas were, medicine, religion and social work. While they gave medicines to our ailments and religion to our spirit, they never failed to provide care for destitute, indigents, homeless children, sociopath/psychopath, among other vulnerable and needy groups, and very importantly, they also challenged some cultural practices that dehumanize the human being. So, one would ask with the social care and social work which the colonial master made an integral part of his governance structure, what must have happened onward? The truth is that the colonial master gave social work to non-social workers and the latter never appreciated it, thinking that anyone can offer such services. With such reckless handling of social work, which the United Nations attested to, a meeting of social welfare ministers of third world nations in 1968 was conveyed by the UN.
In lieu of that meeting, Dr. A. H. Shawky came to Nigeria in 1970 to study its social space and make recommendations on Nigerias social development. Very key to his recommendations was the training of social work professionals as well as legal sanction of the profession to drive to fruition the social development goals of the country at its three tiers. To accentuate the report of Shawky to action, the 1974 Social Development Decree came to be. University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 1976 became the citadel of training social workers at Diploma level, and in 1987 it levelled up to awarding Bachelors Degree. Currently, the school alongside other private and public tertiary institutions award up to Masters and PhD in social work. Thus, the country has lived up to Shawkys recommendation in producing plethora of trained social workers who are skilled in scientific helping and social protection. Sadly, these good number of social workers have not been given the platform by law to man Nigerias social development space. Rather, unqualified and untrained persons have leverage our supposed positions and making a mockery of them.
It is strange that in this time and age, a country like Nigeria is yet to have a full fledge social work profession to guarantee it social welfare at all levels. It is stranger that we still ask to get clarified on the status of a noble profession that have successfully thrived in other nations of the world with its achievements to show at personal and structural levels. Can a social worker pose to be lawyer or who he is not trained to be? Why then do we allow people who are yet to understand the dynamics of scientific helping do what social workers have been painstakingly trained to do? Are we aware that in the training process of social workers as stipulated by its curriculum, 60% of training time must be spent in the field [prison, school, social welfare agency, research/policy, hospital, among other agencies]? The social workers you see in Nigeria go through these rigours just to give their all for a better society. Is it not criminal to train a man for a particular task and let another who did not go through such rigours take his job?
It is at this point the government must realize the evil and harm it is committing against itself. The government must know that all of its problems ranging from illegal migration, school truancy, illiteracy, terrorism, family breakdown, communal clashes, juvenile delinquency, illegal/arbitrary arrest, destitution, crime, among others, can be traceable to the absence of professionals trained to confront them. We hereby put forward to the government to approve the Nigerian Council for Social Work Establishment Bill 2017 to regulate social work activities in line with global best practices, and give to the country what it best deserves in social development terms.
Written by Uzoma Odera Okoye Ph.D.
Professor of Social Work
Head, Department of Social Work,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
uzokoye@yahoo.co.uk
A former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, has been sworn in as the Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging members of the party to rally support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo formally assumed office on Friday following the inauguration of the newly elected State Executive Committee members who will manage the affairs of the party in the state for the next four years.
The inauguration ceremony, held at the party’s State Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, marked the climax of the party’s 2026 congresses in the state.
The South-West Zonal Legal Adviser of the APC, Kolawole Majaro, administered the oath of office on Adeyemo and 35 other members of the State Executive Committee.
The executives had emerged through a consensus arrangement during the March 3, 2026 state congress held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, under the supervision of a committee led by Amos Gombi from the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
In his acceptance speech, Adeyemo described his emergence as a renewed call to service, pledging to strengthen the party and sustain unity among members.
He appreciated party leaders within and outside the state for ensuring a smooth and successful congress process.
Adeyemo also commended members of the Local Organising Committee, particularly Fatai Ibikunle and Afeez Bolaji Repete, for their contributions to the success of the exercise.
He said, “This new State Executive Committee under my leadership is being put in place to add value and strengthen our great party in view of the challenges ahead.
“We have used the opportunity of the congresses to showcase our collective commitment to unity and harmony as progressives and democrats.”
The new chairman expressed optimism that the atmosphere of peace within the party would be sustained ahead of future party primaries and the 2027 elections.
According to him, the party’s target is to secure 90 per cent of the votes in Oyo State for President Tinubu while also reclaiming the state’s Government House in 2027.
Adeyemo praised the President’s leadership, saying the administration was delivering on its promises.
“President Tinubu is, no doubt, performing beyond our expectations and the best way to appreciate his good work is to retain him in Aso Rock until 2031,” he said.
“Against all odds, the President is pursuing his Renewed Hope Agenda with vigour and passion, while the positive results are being felt across sectors of the economy and national life.”
Other members of the newly inaugurated executive include Taofeek Lamidi as Deputy Chairman, Fatai Adesina as State Secretary, Adekemi Opatunde as Woman Leader, Olawale Sadare as Publicity Secretary, Olalekan Oladejo as Youth Leader, and Remi Adepoju as Organising Secretary.
Also inaugurated were Ajiboye Akinsanya as Treasurer, Sunday Aborisade as Legal Adviser, Tinuade Adigun as Auditor, Lukman Owonikoko as Assistant State Secretary, Fatimah Hassan as Deputy Woman Leader, and Jimoh Osundara as the Leader of Persons Living With Disabilities, among others.
The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and breach of public trust.
The notice was presented yesterday during plenary by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the action follows Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dala said the allegations stem from Abdussalam’s tenure as Commissioner for Local Government (2023–2024) and his current role as deputy governor. He accused the deputy governor of diverting funds meant for the 44 local government councils.
According to the majority leader, Abdussalam allegedly received N1.5 million monthly from each council between June 2023 and January 2024, totaling N462 million. Between February and July 2024, he allegedly collected N3.255 million monthly from each council under the guise of special assignments, amounting to N726 million.
Dala also accused the deputy governor of abuse of office, claiming he facilitated payments of N10 million from each council to NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited, totaling N440 million, in violation of state procurement laws.
“The misuse of official capacity to confer undue advantage constitutes abuse of power and undermines public trust,” Dala told lawmakers, adding that the allegations amount to gross misconduct under the Constitution.
The impeachment notice was reportedly endorsed by 38 lawmakers, meeting the constitutional threshold to proceed. The Speaker has acknowledged receipt, and the House is expected to serve the allegations on the deputy governor.
If approved, a panel may be constituted by the state Chief Judge to investigate the claims.
As of filing, Abdussalam had yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that he had joined the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, made the announcement during a media briefing in Abuja, attributing his decision to what he described as irreconcilable differences within the PDP.
The lawmaker said the emergence of the NDC would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system by providing a credible opposition platform.
According to him, the party recently received its certificate of registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “Last week INEC issued a certificate of registration and we now have the newest party in Nigeria known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress and our symbol is victory, the victory sign.
“So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.”
Dickson noted that although the party’s registration took longer than expected, its eventual approval was a welcome development for the country’s democratic landscape.
“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it started some years or months back. We don’t control INEC and their processes; they delayed. We don’t also control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived,” he said.
The senator also stressed that Nigeria’s democracy must not slide into a one-party system, insisting that political diversity remained vital for national stability.
“This nation cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state.
“We are a very diverse nation culturally, religiously and politically and that is the beauty of our country.
“So anyone or any party promoting one-party rule in Nigeria is mistaken. We build political parties and get involved in movements to access power for the good of the people, not for our personal benefit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission recently announced the registration of two new political parties.
The parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
The announcement was made by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party stakeholders for 2026.
According to him, the Democratic Leadership Alliance completed the required verification process, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
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