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Mr. Karinate Odushu, Founder, Odushu Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to positive, practical, measurable impact and development, has announced an initiative to address societal problems through a deliberate and structured focus on the wellbeing, education, and future prospects of boys.
In a recent press briefing in Lagos, Odushu said the timing of the initiative was not accidental.
Across cultures and continents, boys have been shaped by rigid expectations of masculinity that discourage emotional expression and vulnerability. From an early age, many are socialised to suppress fear, sadness, and anxiety, often being told to “be strong” or “act like a man.”
While such messages are frequently intended to foster resilience, they can, inadvertently, deprive boys of the emotional literacy and support systems necessary for healthy psychological development. Over time, the consequences can manifest as anger, disengagement from school, substance abuse, or conflict with authority.
“When a society ignores the emotional and developmental needs of its boys,” he said, “it risks producing men who struggle to find constructive paths in adulthood.”
Addressing this imbalance, therefore, should not be a matter of competing with the gains of girls, but of ensuring that both genders receive the support necessary to thrive.
The Odushu Foundation’s approach centres on four pillars: education, innovation, orientation, and scholarship. Through educational programmes, the foundation aims to improve academic engagement among boys by promoting learning methods that recognise diverse cognitive and behavioural styles. Workshops and mentorship initiatives introduce boys to practical skills, creative expression, and problem-solving opportunities designed to restore confidence in their abilities.
Innovation programmes seek to connect boys with emerging fields such as technology, digital entrepreneurship, and vocational crafts.
By exposing them to constructive outlets for curiosity and ambition, the foundation hopes to counter the sense of stagnation that often accompanies academic struggle. Orientation initiatives, meanwhile, address the social and psychological dimensions of boyhood. These sessions encourage healthy emotional expression, conflict resolution skills, and positive models of masculinity that balance strength with empathy and responsibility.
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Scholarship schemes form the fourth pillar, targeting boys from disadvantaged backgrounds who risk dropping out due to financial hardship.
Odushu opined that economic barriers often intersect with gender expectations, pushing boys prematurely into labour markets or survival activities that interrupt schooling. By sustaining their education, scholarships can help break cycles of marginalisation that otherwise extend into adulthood.
The reframing, he said, complements, rather than contradicts, ongoing advocacy for girls.
“Supporting boys does not diminish girls,” he said. “Equity means understanding the different challenges each child faces and responding appropriately.”
For communities where economic hardship and limited educational infrastructure intensify these dynamics, the Odushu Foundation’s mission acknowledged that boys may be drawn toward street life, informal labour or peer groups that normalise aggression and delinquency. Early intervention through mentorship, schooling support and positive role models can redirect these pathways toward productive adulthood.
Ultimately, Odushu has framed his work not only as social intervention but as societal investment. When boys receive adequate emotional support, quality education, and constructive opportunities, they are more likely to become men who contribute positively to families, workplaces, and civic life. Conversely, neglect carries collective costs, manifesting in crime, unemployment, and fractured social cohesion.
Research has increasingly drawn attention to these patterns. Studies indicate that boys generally receive less emotional affirmation than girls from caregivers and teachers. They are also more likely to be disciplined harshly in educational settings, sometimes for behaviours linked to developmental or learning differences. Boys are disproportionately diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and many struggle in school environments that prioritise compliance and prolonged sedentary focus. The cumulative effect can be alienation from learning, diminished self-esteem, and a higher risk of dropping out.
These educational disparities often echo later in life. Globally, men make up an overwhelming majority of prison populations, estimated at around 96 percent, while women account for roughly four percent. In the United States, men are about 10 times more likely to be incarcerated than women. Analysts attribute this disparity to differences in crime patterns: men are statistically more likely to commit violent and high-risk offenses, while women are more often imprisoned for property or non-violent drug-related crimes. However, criminologists also emphasise the role of socialisation, economic marginalisation, limited educational attainment, and untreated mental health challenges in shaping these outcomes
By focusing on the boy child through education, innovation, orientation programmes, and scholarships, the Odushu Foundation seeks to close a long-standing gap in child development advocacy. Its message is both simple and profound: every child, regardless of gender, deserves the resources and understanding necessary to realise his or her potential. In elevating the needs of boys, Odushu is not shifting attention away from girls but expanding the vision of inclusion, ensuring that no child’s struggles remain unseen, and no future remains unnecessarily constrained.
