The Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria (C-ISOWN) has expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting efforts to professionalize social work in the country through the formal establishment of the institute.
The institute, in a statement released by its President, Prof. Oluwayemisi Obashoro-John, described the President’s support for the renewed hope agenda and institutional reforms as instrumental to advancing social work practice nationwide.
C-ISOWN specifically endorsed the federal government’s move to end public funding of regulatory agencies, advocating for greater autonomy and self-financing in line with global best practices.
“Government is actually apt in the removal of regulatory agencies from the budget list,” Obashoro-John stated. “In advanced countries used as benchmarks, the government grants recognition and creates a monitoring mechanism but does not tie regulatory agencies to her apron strings.”
She added, “As we speak, the Institute does not request government funding to operate. The activities of professional regulation should be self-funded. I will say we are doing well. But the familiarity of being tied to the government in almost everything confuses some onlookers and makes them try to see a government-chartered institute as a private one without recourse to legal rules, perhaps unknown to many that all chartered institutes are placed under a federal ministry for purpose of supervision.”
Highlighting the growing demand for professional social work services, Obashoro-John noted that public recognition of the profession is rising, though the presence of unqualified individuals continues to undermine the field.
She pointed to areas such as child protection, elderly care, industrial and school social welfare, and medical and sports-related services as fields where
regulated social work is increasingly needed.
C-ISOWN also noted that the institute has increased its collaboration with the federal government to enhance service delivery, particularly through the legal framework provided by Act No. 25 of 2022. The Act empowers the institute to regulate, control, and set professional standards for social work practice in Nigeria.
Speaking on membership, the Institute’s Head of Media, Sw. Aniekan Michael, said, “The Chartered Institute has inducted and registered about 5,670 professionals within the few years of charter and has also registered a total of 265 diaspora practitioners.”
He explained that registration numbers remain modest due to a strict retraining and examination process required before certification. “All intending registrants must pass through a mandatory training and examination to ensure minimum standard,” he added.
Established in 2007 and operational since 2010, the institute received its legal reestablishment through the 2022 Act, which clarified its role in regulating social work practice across Nigeria.
