The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende has charged the staff of the Ministry to remain committed to their jobs and double their efforts to meet the ever-increasing demands from Lagosians.
He made the appeal during his familiarisation tour to the Rehabilitation Training Centre and Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Persons With Disabilities located in Ikorodu on Wednesday.
While appreciating the job of the social workers which he described as “great work”, Ogunlende said the State Government can have the best facilities without positively affecting the lives of the citizenry if there are no persons with a commitment to use them to deliver the needed services to the citizenry.
“For the societal problems to be tackled or reduced to the barest minimum, there is a need for social workers to complement the efforts being made by the State Government by total commitment to their job. No society can do without social workers because they play an indispensable role in helping to keep the fabric of society together. It then behoves every one of us whether junior or senior staff in the Ministry to double efforts to meet the ever-increasing demands being made on us by Lagosians”, he said.
In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary, Pharm (Mrs.) Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu said: “As social workers, you have given hope to the children in our Centres as many of them were seen in a joyful mood on seeing us. Some of these children were found on the streets without their parents. You have given them a sense of belonging through the love and care you showed them”.
Oke-Osanyintolu equally urged the staff at the centre to raise the bar of service delivery in view of the fact that the THEMES Plus Agenda of the second term of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has put a rollercoaster on the feet of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development by broadening its responsibilities.
According to her, the Vocational Rehabilitation Training Centre for Persons With Disabilities was established by the State Government in 1997 to empower people living with disability to become productive through the acquisition of skills in either tailoring, shoemaking, bead-making, catering or any other vocation.
