Ondo State Government has expressed the need to bridge the gender gap between adolescent boys and the girl-child, assuring that it would end many vices in the society and keep it crime-free.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Gender, Mrs Olamide Falana, said this yesterday in Akure at the close of a 8-day Superboy Outreach Camp 2022 held for 118 adolescent boys at Christ the Redeemer Secondary School Akure (CRISSA).
Falana lamented that boys in their adolescent ages are faced with series of challenges ranging from drug abuse, bullying, cultism, alcohol, rape, fraud and lure for quick money syndrome amongst others.
According to her, the outreach that was sponsored by Superboy Nigeria, selected 118 adolescent boys across the 18 local governments of the state to give them positive orientation, skills acquisition.
“We endure that they have the right mindset so that they can always go ahead to do the right thing and be the beacons of change to this generation and oncoming ones.
Falana disclosed that the participants were exposed to tech skills, music, dance, karate, symposium, skill acquisition, coding, games, sports, talent hunt, film shows, boy’s discovery and series of career talks by professionals.
Falana, who is the Executive Director of Girls to Women Research and Development Centre (G2W), noted that the training was for boys between ages 10 and 17 years, saying it was the first time such would be organized in the state and Southwest.
“It is very inclusive because we have boys that are with different disabilities, mobility and physically inspired, albinos; it is our own way to teach our boys to show empathy for such people rather than have them stigmatized or push them aside.”
She said the outcome of the camp would change the ugly trend as affirmed by and erudite scholar, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who bemoaned that his generation was a “wasted generation,” losing hope in the next ones.
The Team Director and President of Superboy Outreach, Mrs Taiwo Akindeko, lamented that government and other duty-bearers had focused too much on the girl-child, leaving the boys unattended to.
“We always believed that the boys will figure it out, even when they boy is raped, we just sweep it under the carpet. But if it was the girl, we start shouting. We have to balance the equation because every child is important.
She said the boys were camped, trained and churned out as strong agents of socialization that will reduce the negative effects of peer pressure in the society, making them light-bearers for the upcoming generation.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, expressed delight at the initiative to take care of the boys, affirming that it would complement the efforts on girl-child development.
Ademola-Olateju, who lauded Falana for blazing the trail in the region on gender balancing, described it as impactful, saying “the boys are confident, they have learnt everything from boxing, karate, sex education to advocacy for domestic violence.
“We cannot keep talking about the girl-child without talking about the boy-child. This balances the equation and why I am very proud of this programme that boys are being taught to be protectors of girls and not adversarial to the girls,” the Commissioner.
Other dignitaries and top-government functionaries at the event included representatives of the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology; Commissioner for Energy, Mines and Mineral Resources, Engr. Razaq Obe, amongst others.
