...As Minister Seeks Protection, Mentorship for Boys
As the world commemorates the 2025 International Day of the Boy Child, themed “Building Self-Esteem in Boys: Stand Up, Be Heard, Be Seen,” Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called on families to raise the boy child with purpose and tenderness, courage and care.
In a statement released Friday by her Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Mr. Jonathan Eze, the Minister emphasized that it is the responsibility of every family, school, faith institution, and policymaker to prioritize the holistic development of the boy child.
Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim, a longstanding advocate for family cohesion, acknowledged that while national programming has appropriately addressed the historic marginalization of the girl-child, this focus has unintentionally overlooked the unique vulnerabilities faced by boys.
She warned that this imbalance has created a silent crisis where boys often grow up without adequate emotional support, mentorship, or protection.
“Today, as the sun rises across our great nation—from the creeks of the Niger Delta to the hills of the North, from the villages of the East to the bustling towns of the West—we turn our hearts and focus to the boy child; often seen, yet not always heard; always expected to be strong, but rarely given the room to simply be whole.”
“The International Day of the Boy Child is more than a calendar event for me as Minister of Women Affairs. It is a call—to see our boys, to hear them, and to raise them with purpose and compassion.”
She emphasized the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs’ sacred duty to ensure that no child is forgotten in Nigeria’s development journey. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry is committed to inclusive development beginning at the foundation—family, child, and community.
“Through our programmes promoting family cohesion and community empowerment, we are planting seeds in all 774 local government areas—seeds of hope for the boy who dreams beneath a leaking roof, for the boy silenced by fear of ridicule, for the boy told that real men don’t cry. We are rewriting that narrative.”
“To every Nigerian boy: Stand up. Be proud. Learn. Lead. Respect. Dream. You are not invisible. You are not disposable. You are not just a number or a stereotype. You are the beating heart of a nation that cannot afford to lose you.”
She called on parents, teachers, spiritual and cultural leaders, and policymakers to redefine masculinity, rejecting silence and emotional repression as norms. Instead, boys should be taught that strength and kindness can co-exist.
“Let us raise boys who know that education is not a burden but a birthright. Boys who see mutual respect not as a weakness but a strength. Boys who stand up—not just for themselves, but for others: for girls, for the vulnerable, for justice.”
“To homes across our beloved nation: your living rooms are shaping tomorrow’s leaders. To schools: let your classrooms teach both knowledge and character. To spiritual and cultural leaders: use your platforms to shape not just beliefs, but behavior. To lawmakers and partners: the boy child deserves more than rhetoric. He deserves policies, budgets, protection, mentorship, and opportunity.”
“Let this message echo through every town hall and television screen, every mosque and cathedral, every playground and parliament: We are not raising boys to dominate. We are raising them to transform—transform their families, their communities, their country, and above all, themselves.”
“This is the vision. This is the charge. This is the moment. This is our clarion call—under the new mandate of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.”