For Moghalu-Oguadinma, the Boy-child Matters Too

By Vanessa Obioha

Advocacy for the girl-child is prevalent in many societies today. From education to protection, the girl-child, seen as a vulnerable member of society, is often at the forefront of advocacy. This is not entirely a bad thing as most girls have been victims of violence and privation, irrespective of the hue.

However, it exposes an imbalance in the way child issues are treated based on gender. A vulnerable girl-child is likely to get a quicker response compared to the boy-child. The implication of this is that the boy-child is neglected, and societies are flooded with boys who become irresponsible or susceptible to crimes.

Against this backdrop, Nkiru Moghalu-Oguadinma gathered stakeholders to launch the Boy-child Transformation Centre (BTC) recently in Ikoyi. It is an intervention platform that provides a positive, permanent shift in the quality of life of the boy-child. For the single mother of three boys, author and business strategist, the male child is not getting adequate attention in society.

“Evidence shows more women and girls have received attention and consideration as they are seen as more vulnerable to abuse, attacks and as well as less privileged. What this world order fails to grasp is the fact that the boy-child has the same or even worse challenges as the girls. A neglected boy-child generally grows up to be a bigger danger to society than the girl-child.”

She buttressed her points by providing statistics of prison admissions in Nigeria, which showed that the male gender commits the top 10 crimes for most prison admissions.

“Eighty per cent of suicide cases occur with men due to social pressure to be a man and be strong. The use of drugs and narcotics is 70 per cent more with boys than girls. And school dropout is gradually increasing with boys. The boy-child also offers various forms of abuse including rape, which is also sadly on the rise.”

Moghalu-Oguadinma’s advocacy for the boy-child stems from a desire to see responsible male children in society.
“I have three amazing boys that I’m raising and every day, I look at the world around us, and I’m worried. Worried about children that I’m seeing, and videos of what is going on within our society. I get worried about kidnapping, rape, cultism, banditry attack. These are people’s children that have suddenly turned into something else. I’m a mother, I’m very concerned in the first instance, and then as a human being as well.”

Her parents, she said, instilled core moral values in her, which has helped shape her narrative of life and thus prepare her for the role she is taking in transforming the boy-child in society.

“What is actually missing in all these talks about crimes in society is the aspect of mind shifts. Everything starts with the mind. And I’m saying, how can I also contribute my own quota, because again, if you’re saying you’re living a purposeful life, these are all the things that you need to think through.”

Her thoughts were echoed by former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dakuku Peterside, who deconstructed myths surrounding the male child preference in most African homes and called for better role models for the boy child in his keynote address.

The Senior Special Assistant on Education to the Lagos State Governor, Adetola Salau, emphasised the need for character development of the boy-child in the educational curriculum while also highlighting the importance of having the right mindset and working in harmony with both genders in society.
While Moghalu-Oguadinma’s utmost concern about the male child is for him to overcome peer pressure and do what is right, she is also pushing for the United Nations to make provisions for the boy-child in its policies and programmes. Already, an International Day of the Boy Child is being observed around the world today every year on May 16.

The convener plans to have 100 children go through the BTC every year. Her target audience is boys between the ages of five and 18 who will be groomed in the core values of personal identity, role model, integrity, mutual respect, empathy and self-worth by mentors and coaches.

“Let’s begin to nurture these ones appropriately, so they don’t end up on the streets just like others. It is easier to win over a child than to repair broken men. If we all contribute our own quota in this direction, we can help to salvage what we are seeing right now, within the society,” she noted.

The boys are grouped in different stages to address their needs adequately. For instance, for boys aged five to 10, the focus will include developing identity and character; and understanding personal and cultural values.
Moghalu-Oguadinma will be working with foundations that focus on children, government parastatals, community schools, churches and corporate organisations. There are also plans to work with organisations around Nigeria to realise her vision to train a generation of boys driven by conscience, empathy and living a purposeful life.
“The most important thing we preach is conscience because when a child has conscience and empathy, he will not become violent or indulge in other vices,” she concluded.