BACKGROUND: The policy at most Nigerian health facilities do not permit family members or trained support persons to be by the side of a woman in labour despite lots of benefits that have been reported elsewhere. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effect of social support in labour and its influence on labour duration, need for analgesia and for obstetrics intervention, neonatal outcome and patients satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomised control trial done at the labour ward of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Osogbo, Osun. Nigeria from August 2011 to January 2012 involving women with anticipated vaginal delivery. Patients were recruited and randomised at booking into the experimental group who had routine care with social support and the control group who had routine care only. Primary outcome measures include need for analgesia, need for obstetrics intervention. Others are duration of active phase of labour, immediate neonatal outcome and patient’s satisfaction. Data was analysed using one way ANOVA, student t test and chi square to determine significant differences between means and proportion outcomes in the two groups. Logistic regression was used to adjust for baseline characteristics between the groups. Level of significance was set at 5%.