Gbenro Adesina
Oyo State Government has urged social workers in the state to maintain social distances, high level of hygiene and other health guidelines enacted to ensure that coronavirus (COVID-19) was contained both at home and work environments.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Christiana Abioye gave this admonition during year 2020 World Social Work Day celebrations with the theme; “Promotion of the importance of human relationships in workplace”, organised by Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASOW), Oyo State Chapter.
In her keynote address, Mrs Abioye said, “It is important for social workers to be vigilant and equipped themselves with COVID-19 information as it was relevant as they are on the front line, working in the trenches with many vulnerable persons at borders of social services, deportees, trafficking, crime, childcare, health, elderly and care for the disabled. Social workers are agents of change who through their actions could change and equally influence what happened with COVID-19 disease while working with other professionals as a collective responsibility, hence the need for vigilance and alertness”.
Speaking on the theme of the year, the guest lecturer from the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, Professor Emmanuel Ajala said the topic was necessary due to usual conflicts in both private and public organisations.
“Overtime, we have discovered that most people in our work places have conflicts between themselves as co-workers, within the organisations, management and co-staff, but if there is proper development of human relations by social workers who might evaluate and educate all employees and employers, workplaces will be worth sharing since most workers spend the first eight hours of the day that is useful at the workplace”, he said.
