The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Lauretta Davies-Dimkpa, has charged social workers and members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Rivers State Council, to be diligent, professional and committed to continuous self-upgrade to remain relevant in today’s evolving world of work.
Davies-Dimkpa, who gave the charge when she received members of the union on a courtesy visit to her office in Port Harcourt, expressed concern that many civil servants do not see the need to upgrade their skills or knowledge, adding that such attitude could lead to stagnation while others move ahead.
“I’m sorry to say that a lot of civil servants are not in that space where they see upgrading their skills and expertise as important”, she said.
She also noted that social work is an international profession and urged practitioners to continually improve themselves by taking advantage of every opportunity.
“If you don’t upgrade yourself as a professional, you will be retarding yourself”, she stated.
She also noted that social work and health-related professions had moved beyond analogue practice, and urged practitioners to become IT-savvy, acquire relevant soft skills and obtain professional certifications that would enhance their competitiveness globally.
She further stressed that their professional qualifications are internationally recognised and could open doors to opportunities beyond Nigeria.
On employment raised by the union, the Permanent Secretary noted that the Ministry had decided to retain some retired staff as auxiliary social workers to tap into their wealth of experience and sustain effective service delivery.
The move, she said, is more cost-effective than recruiting new staff who would require extensive training before gaining the necessary experience.
Earlier, the Chairperson of MHWUN, Rivers State Council, Comrade Glory Bapakaye-James, said the visit was to familiarise the union with the Permanent Secretary and discuss the union’s activities and operations.
She commended the Permanent Secretary for her leadership and the conducive working environment she had created, which, according to her, had boosted staff morale.
“we want to appreciate the enormous work you are doing here in this ministry. You have shown capacity and have written your name on a gold sheet and posterity will remember you”, she said.
Bapakaye-James, however, appealed for more professional hands in the Ministry to address the manpower shortage.
She noted that the workload was enormous and some workers were performing the duties of several people.
The MHWUN Chairperson assured the Permanent Secretary of the union’s continued support and pledged to engage the State Government on the manpower gap.
Similarly, the Secretary of the Union, Comrade Lekia Momah, called for the continuous training and retraining of members to enhance their skills and improve service delivery.
The meeting ended on a cordial note, with both parties reaffirming their commitment to improved welfare, professionalism and effective service delivery.
– Igbiks is the Information/Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation.