By David Owei,Bayelsa <\/p>\n
Social workers in Nigeria continue to face a complex web of challenges many of which are both structural and historical in nature according to professor Raimi Lasisi, these challenges mirror those faced by numerous professional bodies in the country, but are particularly pronounced within the field of social work.<\/p>\n
Prof Raimi Lasisi Stated this while delivering a key note address at this year celebration of the Nigeria Association of Social Worker week in Yenagoa,Bayelsa State.<\/p>\n
According to the university don,one of the most pressing issues is the lack of institutional support required for social workers to thrive as a professional body, when compared with countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, the disparity becomes even more evident. In these countries, there is strong political will and structured backing for social work in Nigeria, however such support remains largely absent.<\/p>\n
He also list Funding as part of the concomitant problem militating against the association. According to him “Funding is another persistent obstacle. Like many professions in the country social work suffers from inadequate financial investment, yet beyond structural and financial issues lies a deeper challenge,public perception,many Nigerians still lack a clear understanding of the role of social workers, often undervaluing their contributions compared to other professions, particularly in the social sciences.<\/p>\n
Professor Lasisi further links these challenges to Nigeria\u2019s colonial history he points out that the legacy of \u201cdivide and rule,\u201d a strategy employed during colonial administration, has left behind deep-rooted divisions these divisions ethnic institutional, and social continue to shape modern Nigerian society”<\/p>\n
He averred that the failure of successive leadership to adequately address this inherited disunity has allowed it to persist even at local levels, such as within Rivers state, these divisions are evident,ethnic sentiments often influence public perception and acceptance of leadership, reinforcing fragmentation”<\/p>\n
According to Lasisi, these structural and institutional divides, though not originally inherent to Nigerians, have endured over time and continue to hinder collective progress.<\/p>\n
He however posited that despite these challenges, the role of social workers cannot be quantified while they may not provide medical treatment in the conventional sense, they offer critical psychological and emotional support.<\/p>\n
“Their work addresses the social and institutional pressures that affect individuals, families and communities in many parts of the world, social workers are recognized as essential professionals, comparable in importance to those in the medical field due to their impact on mental and emotional well being.”<\/p>\n
Their importance in addressing social problems cannot be overstated social workers are highly trained professionals equipped to tackle issues such as poverty, inequality, family instability, and social injustice their expertise positions them as key agents of change in society.<\/p>\n
Also speaking ,Lilian Nkiruka Obah, chairperson of the Bayelsa state chapter of social workers highlights the profession\u2019s role in advocacy and community mobilization,she notes that social workers actively engage in bridging long standing divisions and fostering trust within communities,through their work they help address deeply rooted social challenges and promote cohesion.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme, \u201cCo building hope and Harmony: a Harambee call for uniting a divided society,\u201d underscores the importance of collaboration the term Harambee, meaning \u201cpulling together,\u201d reflects the collective effort required to build stronger, more unified communities.<\/p>\n
She emphasizes the need to leverage one another\u2019s strengths recognizing that meaningful progress is achieved through shared responsibility Nigeria, with its rich diversity and cultural vibrancy faces numerous social challenges including poverty youth unemployment gender based violence and limited access to essential services. <\/p>\n
“These issues place significant demands on social workers who remain committed to advocating for vulnerable populations despite limited resources, heavy workloads, and minimal recognition”<\/p>\n
“Yet, even under such conditions social workers stand as pillars of hope they counsel families in crisis, protect children, empower women and youth, support persons with disabilities, and champion social justice and human dignity<\/p>\n
The national program officer, Fabiawari Dagogo stated that the event reinforces the message of unity embedded in this year\u2019s theme, she calls for a collective response to societal challenges urging professionals policymakers, community leaders and citizens to work together toward a shared vision of progress.<\/p>\n
“Social change she emphasizes, is not the responsibility of one group alone. Whether one is a social worker teacher,volunteer, faith leader or health professional, everyone has a role to play in fostering community well being”<\/p>\n
She said in Bayelsa state, this year\u2019s social work celebration spans from March 16 to March 22, 2026 the week long event is designed to build stronger connections among professionals at the forefront of social transformation,it also serves as a call to action for social workers to take a more active role in driving meaningful change within the state.<\/p>\n
The week long event started with sensitization walk to create more awareness,visit to media houses,radio talk and novelty football match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By David Owei,Bayelsa Social workers in Nigeria continue to face a complex web of challenges many of which are both structural and historical in nature according to professor Raimi Lasisi, these challenges mirror those faced by numerous professional bodies in the country, but are particularly pronounced within the field of social work. Prof Raimi Lasisi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4132,6291,6175,3296],"class_list":["post-11945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news","tag-acceptance","tag-eadership","tag-perception","tag-reinforcing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11948,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions\/11948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}