By Vivian Onyebukwa
People are always biased when it comes to the upbringing of a girl-child, while neglecting the boy-child. This has resulted in social menace in society such as banditry and kidnapping, among others. A lot of the perpetrators of these vicess are men.
According to Nkiruka Moghalu-Oguadinma, founder, Boy Child Transformation Centre (BTC), 99 per cent of the menace in society today is attributed to males.
She said: “The grown men we see today were once little boys and you can see, to some extent, where our society is going when you talk about poor leadership. It is mostly in the area of grown men.”
She, therefore, advised parents to equally pay attention to boys, not only girls. She stated this during the celebration of this year’s International Day of the Boy-Child, with a special event themed “Walk in My Shoes”, a creative expression especially for boys between 11 and 16.
The event, which took place in Lagos, was aimed at raising awareness about the challenges faced by boys and young men in today’s society through creative expressions in poetry, music and art. Within two weeks, over 100 registrations and 18 awesome entries across the creative spectrum that met the criteria by the judges were received.
Oguadinma described creativity as a force that knows no boundaries. According to her, “It transcends disciplines, defies limitations and breaks through barriers. We must create an environment that celebrates and embraces diverse forms of expression, allowing our boys to explore and discover their unique talents. Whether it’s through art, music, writing or any other medium, we should encourage their individuality, providing them with the freedom to express themselves authentically.”
She promised to continue to foster an environment that encourages boys to express their emotions, passion and embrace vulnerability, adding that society often places immense pressure on boys to conform to rigid expectations of strength and stoicism and this came through in most of the entries that came through. This, she said, not only hinders their emotional development but also perpetuates harmful behaviours such as aggression and violence. “We must create safe spaces where boys can freely express their feelings, seek support and learn healthy ways to manage their emotions.”
She noted that raising a boy-child in the right manner is the collective responsibility of parents, teachers, government and the society at large. “It requires breaking down harmful stereotypes and encouraging creativity, emotional intelligence, empathy, and open-mindedness. By doing so, we create generation of men who are not only strong physically, but also emotionally resilient and capable of building meaningful relationships”.
Keynote speaker, Kobichukwurah Jesse Oguadinma, advised parents to allow their children do what they are motivated to do. “The creativity of a child is beyond that, that a parent may not understand what objective they want to do, and in journey of doing that, their career opens. Parents should allow their children to build on their skills and to enhance their creativity”.
One of the mentors, Dipo Adesida, described Boy-Child Transformation Center (BTC) as a platform that provides a positive shift in the quality of life of the Boy-child. “Because every boy deserves to grow up to become a man of honour and integrity, to accept the responsibilities of manhood, such as forming and supporting a family, as well as contributing in a vital way to the community and the nation, BTC is, therefore, dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of boys and young men through mentorship and role modelling, which teaches empathy over toughness, character education and development, life goals development, intentional living, quality leadership and community participation.”
Executive secretary, MTN Foundation, Oduayo Sanya, said it takes both the girl-child and the boy-child to build a nation. She advised parents to allow their children to bloom by allowing them to choose their preferred profession.
Former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Education to Lagos State governor, Dr Adetola Salau, acknowledged the efforts of the state government to include work on the boy-child. “A lot of work has been done on gender inclusion and a lot of that work has been geared towards doing which has left a lot of boys out. So, we have started a lot of initiative where we are recognising the boys and making them know that they too are our citizens.”
Winners emerged at the challenge. The first, second and third winners went home with N200,000, N100,000 and N50,000, respectively. There were lots of other gift items to all other contestants.
Founded on May 29, 2021, BTC aims to impact society by promoting a healthy and respectful boy-child in Nigeria.