By Victoria Attah, Correspondent
The Yargote Foundation has intensified calls for increased national attention to the welfare and development of the boy-child with a two-day awareness walk held in Abuja and Suleja to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Boy Child.
The exercise began on Saturday, May 16, at the Millennium Park and continued on Sunday, May 17, in Suleja, Niger State, attracting students, parents, educators, youth advocates and community leaders.
Founder of the Foundation, Anna Hussaini Pai, said the campaign was organised to draw attention to the growing social and emotional challenges confronting boys across the country.
She said the Foundation decided to expand the awareness walk beyond Abuja this year in order to deepen public conversations around mentorship, emotional support and responsible upbringing for boys. According to Pai, many of the social problems affecting communities today, including substance abuse, internet fraud, gang violence and insecurity, are linked to the neglect of young boys.
“We are trying to empower the boy-child for stronger families and stronger communities because that is what will give us a better nation,” she said during the Suleja outing.
Pai stated that the Foundation has spent the last three years implementing programmes targeted at boys between the ages of 10 and 19 through mentorship, life-skills training and personal development sessions. She added that the organisation’s “Empower the Boy Child Project” focuses on discipline, emotional intelligence, leadership, communication and community engagement.
The Foundation’s founder also called for stronger collaboration among parents, schools, religious institutions, policymakers and development partners to address issues affecting boys before they escalate into wider social problems. She noted that boys are often raised under pressure to suppress emotions and appear strong at all times, despite facing growing mental and social challenges.
At the Abuja walk, participants carried placards with messages promoting education, mentorship, positive masculinity and responsible leadership, while volunteers engaged residents on the need for balanced child development.
The awareness campaign followed the Foundation’s 2025 Empower the Boy-Child Summit held in Abuja, where stakeholders warned that the increasing number of vulnerable boys could worsen insecurity and social instability if left unaddressed.
During the summit, Pai cited concerns over the rising number of out-of-school boys and increasing exposure of young males to drugs, crime and violence. She maintained that supporting the boy-child should not be interpreted as opposition to girl-child empowerment, stressing that both genders require equal opportunities for healthy development.
The Foundation also disclosed plans to establish Empower the Boy Child Clubs in schools and create safe spaces where boys can access mentorship and emotional support.
Some participants at the event commended the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention aimed at redirecting young boys toward productive and responsible living.
Activities during the two-day programme included road walks, mentorship interactions, spoken-word presentations and awareness engagements focused on promoting discipline, self-confidence and positive values among boys.
Pai said the Foundation would continue to expand its outreach to more communities as part of efforts to keep issues affecting the boy-child on the national agenda.
She added that empowering boys today would contribute to building more stable families and safer communities in the future.
