The Oyo State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has trained Auxiliary Social Workers as part of efforts to strengthen child protection and social welfare systems across the state.
The five-day training programme, which commenced on Monday, August 10, 2026, at the Local Government Training School, Agodi, Ibadan, was organised to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to identify, prevent and respond to cases of child abuse, neglect, trafficking and other forms of vulnerability within their communities.
Speaking at the programme, the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Ajoke Fausat Sanni, said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the child protection system in the state by providing community-based personnel with practical skills in child rights, case management, psychosocial support and referral pathways.
She explained that the initiative would complement the efforts of professional social workers by providing additional support at the community level.
According to her, “We need to strengthen the existing social workers in the state. That is why we have selected a group of people to receive more training and provide immediate assistance to vulnerable people in society, especially children and women.”
The Commissioner added that the initiative was in line with the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde’s “Omituntun 2.0” agenda, particularly its focus on social inclusion and investment in human capital.
Alhaja Sanni urged the participants to put the knowledge acquired during the training into practice and become advocates for the protection and wellbeing of vulnerable persons in their respective communities.
She said, “Every child must be protected, every family supported, and no one left behind.”
The lead facilitator of the programme and Head of the Department of Social Work, University of Ibadan, Professor James Ayanguna, commended the Oyo State Government and UNICEF for the initiative, noting that the training would contribute significantly to ensuring that children are protected in their respective communities.
Professor Ayanguna also applauded the participants for their cooperation, attentiveness and commitment throughout the training.
He said the training had equipped the participants with the knowledge needed to make a difference in society, stressing that child protection should not be left solely to professionally trained social workers.
According to him, “We cannot leave the job to those who are trained as social workers in the university. The government cannot go from house to house to ensure that no child is abused and that vulnerable people are protected. It is therefore important to have more hands in the communities. These participants, as members of their communities, can take the message and knowledge acquired to their respective communities.”
One of the participants, Mrs Olayemi Pelumi, pledged to apply the knowledge gained from the training, beginning from her home and extending to her community.
She said, “I never knew that starving an erring child is child abuse. Now that I know better ways of approaching such situations, I will stop it and discourage others in my community from doing the same.”
The five-day programme officially ended on Friday, August 14, 2026.
Present at the closing ceremony were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Oluyinka Shotonwa-Roagess; Director of Child Welfare, Mr Gbémileke Ojerinde; UNICEF officials; the UNICEF Desk Officer in the Ministry, Mrs Adediran Oluwawemimo; and the participants drawn from communities within Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
The participants comprised artisans, semi-literate community members and formal-sector workers, who were selected to serve as additional community-level support in promoting child protection and social inclusion.
