NASoW Kicks Against Inauguration of Social Work Council 

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The leadership of the Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW), the umbrella body of all professional social workers in the country, on Friday, declared that the inauguration of the Nigeria Council for Social Work lacked procedural merit. 

This is just as it said the inauguration of the council without the contributions of the Association is contrary to the Act. 

The National President of NASoW, Alhaji Mashood Mustapha, made the declarations in a statement by the National Public Relations Officer of the association, Mr. Musliudeen Adebayo, in Ibadan.

The Nigeria Council for Social Work [Establishment] Act 2022, which has been gazetted, was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2022. 

It was however gathered that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs invited some individuals for the inauguration of the pioneer Nigeria Council for Social Work on Friday. 

But Mustapha, in the statement, described the step taken by the Ministry of Women Affairs as an aberration to the Act, calling on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the matter. 

Mustapha maintained that the Act recognised NASoW as the umbrella body for the profession and all things to be done must be in tandem with the contributions of the Association. 

According to him, “The inauguration of the council did not follow due process. It lacked procedural merit. The act recognised NASoW as a major stakeholder. As a major stakeholder, NASoW needs to be contacted and officially invited before the inauguration is done. We were not contacted. NASoW also viewed with dismay that the timing of the inauguration is wrong. The inauguration is done at a time when social workers in Nigeria are hosting the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) Africa Region conference in Lagos.

“The inauguration by the Ministry of Women Affairs is taking place at a time when the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is planning to constitute the council. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has sent an official letter to NASoW and requested us to make nominations for the council which has been done. So, we are surprised that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs is inaugurating another council today. We cannot have two councils for social work and the two ministries should not work at cross purposes. 

“NASoW as a major stakeholder should have two representatives in the council, but to our own surprise, NASoW was not requested to make nominations nor contacted or invited. This is an aberration to the provisions of the act. We call on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu to call the Minister of Women Affairs to order and decide where the council will be domiciled to avoid all these unnecessary conflict of interest and embarrassment among the various federal ministries in the country. 

“Another important thing is that the appointment of the chairman of the board must be approved by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are not aware if this has been done. We hereby call on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the matter. 

“The president of the association hereby registered his displeasure on the way the Federal Ministry of Women is Affairs is handling the constitution and inauguration of the council of social work in Nigeria. Section 30 of the act recognises the Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW) as the umbrella body of social work organisations in Nigeria. 

“I  wish to call the attention of His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President and commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to intervene and put a round peg in a round hole by addressing which of the three ministries will the new board domiciled either the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Ministry of Women Affairs or Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.”