… Lobby for the UN to recognize International Boys’ Day

Lagos State First Lady Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu on Saturday launched a new initiative championed by her office to ensure the well-being, well-being and interests of the child boy.

The initiative, tagged: “The 21^st Century Boy Child: Creating a Vision for Transformation, ”according to a press release from the Deputy Director of Public Affairs of the Lagos State First Lady’s Office, Ms. Olubukonla Nwonah, aims to ensure that the child boy is not left behind in the program. Business.

Speaking at the event attended by various stakeholders, the First Lady said that it was observed that the due attention was not given to boys’ issues and that it was absolutely necessary to correct the imbalance of the gender scale.

“One of the reasons we decided to embark on this initiative is that there is a cry that the parents knowingly and unconsciously put a lot of emphasis and effort on the girl but seem to forget that the boy is also important and we have to balance him.

“Even God created Adam and Eve (Boy and Girl); He didn’t just create Adam; there was a need to have Eve. And so, if we keep talking about the girl all the time and forget that the girl is going to end up with the boy at home as husband and wife, then they will have children and then the circle starts all over again. The point here is that it has to be balanced, ”Sanwo-Olu said.

She added that due to the nature and perception of the boy child as being strong and resilient, society tends to pay little or no attention to issues affecting male children.

“Even though we are planning to commemorate the International Day of the Girl on October 11, we are convinced that the interests, well-being and well-being of the boy should also be factored into the business agenda.

“So our Boy Child Initiative aims to focus the spotlight on the challenges boys face in silence and come up with workable and actionable solutions. This initiative is simply to include and ensure that no member or stratum of society is left behind, ”said the First Lady.

She also advocated for the full recognition of May 16, which is International Boys’ Day, by the United Nations.

“I know there are a number of people like me all over the world who have been pushing for the boys initiative. It has not been 100 percent recognized by the United Nations, but I know that over time, when many of us push this initiative a little further, it will be recognized, ”she said.

Giving more details on the initiative, Sanwo-Olu said that participants aged 9 and 17 who have already been selected from the five administrative divisions of the state, namely Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Island of Lagos and Epe, would undergo residential training for a week. , while parents from various groups and associations would also be lectured on how to handle the training of boys.

She said some of the topics that would be facilitated by subject matter experts include safety and you, mental health, media literacy and responsible use of social media, counseling, parenting, family values, civic responsibility, entrepreneurship, finding career paths, self-esteem, personal hygiene and etiquette, among others.

Other activities are the table tennis competition, boys’ groups and visits to historic sites and strategic organizations.

As part of the initiative, an awareness walk was held from the Ikeja City shopping center to Lagos House, Alausa Ikeja, with the First Lady, various NGOs and selected students in the formal and informal sectors participating and displaying signs of various inscriptions such as “I am with the boy; stop neglecting the boy; boys are also important ”, among others.

The launch brought together various stakeholders such as the Nigerian Teachers Union (NUT), the Primary Teachers Association, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Nasrullah-Fathih Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) Women Wing , the Nigeria Institute of Building, the Nigerian company. of Engineers, Nigerian Psychological Association, Nigeria Union of Journalists, homes run by the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and students from the school districts of the Ministry of Education.

Other groups present are Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation, Purkiche Girl Child Foundation, Street Child Care & Welfare Initiative, Chosen Child Orphanage and Care Center, Compassionate Orphanage, Child Protection Network and others.

SIGN

MRS OLUBUKONLA NWONAH

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS

OFFICE OF THE FIRST LADY OF THE STATE OF LAGOS

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