Participants at the 2024 edition of the annual Ibadan Boys’ Summit have expressed concern over the rate at which contemporary families and societies are neglecting the boy-child by expending more time and resources training girls to the detriment of boys.
Professor Falaiye of the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos, raised the issue during the Summit tagged ‘The Bodacious Boy 3.0’ which was held on Tuesday in Ibadan.
According to the organisers, the summit under the Reclaiming Masculinities for Sustainable Co-existence (REMASCO) programme, is one of the gender projects of the Centre for Applied Ethics and Political Communication (CAEPOCOM) in Africa.
Professor Falaiye, while describing the various gender roles modern families and societies expect boys and girls to play because of their sexes, lamented that the special attention given to girls at the expense of boys is making the boys less prepared for life, work, relationships, and survival.
“The consequences of these decisions will not only affect us in the future; they are affecting us now, staring us in the face, and it is worrisome,” he said.
In light of this, the professor advised that both boys and girls should be given equal attention in terms of education and other social benefits so that they can live and compete favourably in society.
The Executive Director of CAEPOCOM Africa and Associate Professor at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Dr Sharon Omotoso, said the summit is a platform for boys to be exposed to nuggets and perspectives that will mould them into “son materials, husband materials, and father materials.”
She stated that times are changing, but most boys are not aware of it. She, therefore, told the boys that life is a journey with crossroads to navigate and difficult decisions to make including replacing failure with learning, overthinking with action, blame with responsibility, complaints with gratitude, toxic friends with mentors, and movies with sleep.
“Some wives are not proud of their husbands and some sons are not proud of their fathers. Though no family is perfect, you should not be that kind of husband or father. Be hopeful to be the best you can,” she added.
An Anglican priest, Barrister Abiodun Olugbemide, anchored the storytelling session where he shared his boyhood experience to inspire the boys to dream and aspire to greatness.
The reverend told the boys that their lives are not the worst and charged them to “learn how to access and respect your parents based on what they can or cannot afford.”
He further told the boys that it is not too late to pursue their dreams, adding, “Whatever it is that you want to achieve, you can achieve it.”
Barrister Oluwafeyikemi Olagoke spoke on the rights of children. She said the constitution and the Child Rights Act contain laws that protect children and ensure their rights are respected. She also spoke about the rights parents have over their children.
Olagoke that parents highlighted parents’ rights over their children including doing everything that is in the best interest of the child and making decisions on their behalf.
There was a session titled ‘Young boys and politics’ where the boys were advised to see and approach politics and leadership from constructive perspectives rather than destructive angles.
During the media and information literacy session, the boys were taught the merits and demerits of digital media, and the kind of people, content, and information they should access from digital and social media that will positively impact their lives and education.
The facilitators of the media session urged the boys to exercise self-control and learn self-control to maximize the benefits of media usage.
Dr Victor Fabuluje, a neurophysiotherapist with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, spoke on ‘Health and hygiene for boys’.
He spoke mainly on physical, personal, food, and environmental hygiene. He said good hygiene is essential for good physical and mental health.
Fabuluje stressed that boys of this generation need good physical and mental health because of certain expectations from them to conform to family and societal norms that put physical and mental stress on them and often affect their performance and self-esteem.
He urged the boys to eat well, drink enough water, keep their bodies and clothes clean, exercise regularly, and stay away from harmful practices and behaviours.
Other highlights of the event were games, tests, quizzes, testimonials from Summit alumni and other social activities moderated by Dr. Samuel Adejube of Music Department, University of Ibadan.
The comment ended on a note of appreciation from parents and participants on the foresight of CAEPOCOM AFRICA in organizing the Boys’ Summit.
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