Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged parents to give as much attention to their boy-child too.
She spoke at the inaugural Parenting Seminar as part of the Boy-Child Initiative of her office. The theme was ‘Parenting the 21st Century Boy Child: A Pathway to Transformation’.
The event was also held to commemorate the International Day of the Boy-Child celebrated every May 16.
Mrs. Sanwo-Olu said the seminar was to ensure that parents have ‘in-depth understanding of the nitty-gritty of effective approaches to the upbringing of the boy-child in order to address social vices such as rape, drug abuse, cultism, bullying, and others’.
She added: “Our Boy-Child interventions are aimed at making a positive difference. It is gratifying that it is already catching the fancy of the international community, and I must say we are open to partnerships to scale up our programs to support the boy child and secure their future.
“Parents have a lot to do to address the plight of the boy-child. It is a burning one that parents must pay special attention to because if we don’t, he is at risk.
“As parents, we need to desist from exerting pressure on our boys; we need to kick out drug abuse; we just have to focus on all issues affecting the boy-child.”
Guest speakers spoke on the importance of sex education in birthing a sexual and gender-based violence-free society; mental health issues in children: early signs and preventive measures; and parenting: our civic responsibility and its overall impact on nation-building.
They all harped on the need for parents to give quality time to the children, and improve the communication line in the family, while also leading by example to teach boys good values, especially the need to respect the rights of others.
