The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has advocated that vulnerable male child be granted total access to quality education across Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu said the growing neglect of the boy child could adversely affect their wellbeing and threaten their future.
The First Lady spoke at a three-day residential workshop with the theme, “Awakening The Boy Child Towards Becoming A Change Agent,” organized by the Lagos Boy Child Initiative of the Office of the First Lady of Lagos State, held at the Model College, Meiran, Lagos.
Speaking with newsmen, the governor’s wife stated that the main objective of the Lagos Boy Child Initiative (wa5s), is to raise awareness on the rights and welfare of the boy child in the state.
According to her, “We have realized that there has been a lot of attention on the girl child, we have also realized that the girl child most of the time will end up in a place where there are going to be men and some of them will end up being married and be involved with the boy child, we are here to put more emphasis on the boy child. This is actually the Lagos Boy Child Initiative.’’
Sanwo-Olu said the second opportunity of the initiative was to promote educational opportunities to male children, especially the indigent.
She said her office had discovered from research that some boys had been deprived from going to school because of some financial constraints in the family circles.
“We want to change that narrative that the boy-child needs that available opportunity to be well educated. We are glad that the Lagos State government and other state governments are encouraging education to certain level so we are buttressing that point,’’ she said.
The First Lady added that the third objective of the initiative was to facilitate the rehabilitation of the vulnerable boy-child through referrals.
“There are a lot of children out there, especially the boy-child who by no reason of their own are victims of circumstances and end up on the streets, these children are vulnerable. This is another cadre of people out there and we ready to capture them if other people are not ready to take care of their wards,” she said.
Sanwo-Olu stated that the fourth objective was to build a new generation of transformed male children who would contribute positively to the society, saying there was the erroneous impression out there that a lot of the male children were into internet fraud or irresponsible that must be corrected.
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Eti-Osa Constituency 2, Gbolahan Yishawu commended the wife of the Lagos State governor for coming up with the Lagos State Boy Child Initiative.
He said, saying though there is need to lay emphasis on every child, the boy child often saddled with enormous responsibilities must be well groomed and moulded properly.
He urged the parents to guide the children, put them on the right path and mentor them, adding that a concerted approach is needed to raise good children.
Highlight of the day was the panel discussion on “Industry Perspectives for Equipping yourself for the Future.” The panelists were Ogunade Olumide (ID Cabasa), Seun Awobajo, Ade Bakare, Peter Rufai and Olusegun Yishawu.
