Oyo To Strengthen Counselling Services, Tackle Drug Abuse, Youth Delinquency

Oyo State government has expressed its readiness to strengthen collaboration with relevant stakeholders and professional bodies to promote preventive counselling and other interventions aimed at curbing drug abuse, delinquent behaviours and other social vices among young people in the State.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olusegun Olayiwola, stated this when he received members of the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria (CPCN) in his office, emphasising the importance of preventive counselling in schools as a strategic measure for safeguarding the future of school-age children.

Olayiwola noted that the state government would welcome initiatives capable of positively impacting the lives of young people, particularly those designed to prevent students from engaging in behaviours that could jeopardise their education, wellbeing and future prospects.

He disclosed that efforts would be made to fast-track the establishment of a dedicated Counselling Department within the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, elevating it from its current status as a unit under a department.

The commissioner also expressed the ministry’s readiness to pursue the domestication of the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria Act, 2022, in Oyo State, noting that this would strengthen the regulation and accessibility of professional counselling services across various sectors.

According to him, the domestication of the Act would provide a stronger framework for integrating counselling services into the education, health, social welfare and public service systems of the State, while aligning state-level practices with the national regulatory framework.

He stressed that effective counselling services were essential to identifying challenges confronting young people early, providing appropriate interventions and guiding them towards responsible and productive lifestyles.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Bamidele Oyinloye, charged counsellors to demonstrate greater passion, commitment and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

Oyinloye urged counsellors to remain proactive and resilient despite the challenges they might encounter in the course of their responsibilities, particularly in schools, noting that a more responsive counselling system would contribute significantly to improving students’ academic performance, behaviour and overall wellbeing.

Speaking on the purpose of the visit, the Director, Counselling Institute of Nigeria and leader of the delegation, Prof. Ayo Hammed, explained that the CPCN Act, 2022, establishes the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria as the statutory regulator of the counselling profession in Nigeria.

He said the Council was responsible for setting professional standards, registering qualified practitioners, maintaining a register of practitioners, regulating professional conduct and taking disciplinary measures where necessary, adding that the Act provides a national framework for the practice of counselling in Nigeria.

Hammed further explained that domestication of the Act in Oyo State would enable state mechanisms to translate national professional standards into effective recruitment, service delivery, training and monitoring of counselling practitioners.

He noted that a coordinated approach would also make professional counselling services more accessible across public institutions, including schools, hospitals, community centres and social welfare agencies.

According to him, other benefits of domesticating the Act include stronger professional recognition and clearer standards of practice, improved safeguards against unqualified practice and professional misconduct, as well as the potential expansion of counselling services across various sectors of the State.

He, therefore called for continued collaboration between the State Government and relevant professional stakeholders towards strengthening counselling services and ensuring that young people receive timely guidance and support.