Sanwo-Olu declares May 16 Lagos Boy Child Day
August 5, 2026 4:16 am
File: Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has designated May 16 as Lagos Boy Child Day, while backing a review of the state’s 2015 Child Rights Law to address emerging threats facing children and strengthen legal protection for boys.
The governor’s declaration, announced on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ engagement on the review of the Lagos State Child Rights Law 2015 and the launch of the Lagos Boy Child Initiative, marks a significant policy push to place the welfare of boys more prominently within the state’s child protection framework.
The initiative, championed by the First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, is aimed at addressing what the organisers described as a gap in attention to the boy child, particularly as governments and civil society organisations have intensified advocacy and interventions around the rights and vulnerabilities of girls.
Speaking at the event themed “The Child Development Framework in Lagos State: Addressing the Boy Child Gap,” the governor said greater attention to boys should not come at the expense of gains made in protecting girls.
Rather, he said, the objective should be to ensure that both sexes receive adequate protection from abuse and other threats.
“The First Lady has ensured that the initiative grows and turns into a movement where the presence of girl children has not reduced while ensuring that we have not inadvertently relegated the boy child,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He said the time was right to review the Child Rights Law to ensure that its provisions reflect the changing circumstances confronting children, assuring the initiative of the state government’s support.
The governor also called for greater vigilance by parents and community leaders over the welfare of boys, particularly against forms of abuse that are often associated more readily with girls in public advocacy.
“As leaders and parents, there is a need to protect boy children. There are a lot of programmes they can be taking to repair the imbalance so we can have a society we can be proud of.
“We will support the initiative to whatever level that it is required,” he said.
The First Lady, who convened the Lagos Boy Child Initiative, said her decision to champion the programme was driven by a conviction that boys, like girls, require deliberate investment, guidance and opportunities during their formative years.
She described the governor’s declaration of May 16 as Lagos State Boy Child Day as an indication that the state was seeking to institutionalise a more inclusive approach to child development.
She said the designation was “a profound statement that every child matters” and argued that gender equality should not be understood as a competition for policy attention between boys and girls.
“True gender equality is achieved not by competing interests but by ensuring that every child, girl or boy, is allowed to realise his or her God-given potential,” she said.
The First Lady’s push for a review of the Lagos State Child Rights Law 2015 also broadens the initiative beyond advocacy and public awareness, with the proposed amendments expected to bring the state’s child protection framework in line with threats and social conditions that have become more prominent since the law was enacted.
She said the existing legislation had served Lagos well but could no longer be viewed as sufficient without considering changes in technology, family structures and the social environment in which children grow up.
“The Child’s Rights Law has served our state remarkably well. However, society continues to evolve.
“New realities such as technology-facilitated violence, online exploitation, changing family structures, mental health concerns, juvenile justice reforms and inclusive child development require that our laws evolve accordingly,” she said.
The reference to technology-facilitated violence and online exploitation is particularly significant as children’s exposure to digital platforms has expanded considerably, creating forms of vulnerability that traditional child protection frameworks were not necessarily designed to address.
The First Lady said the review should therefore strengthen both the legal and institutional mechanisms for protecting children, while ensuring that the best interests of every child remain central to the state’s response.
“It is therefore gratifying that implementation of the existing law and practical amendments of it will make it even more responsive to contemporary challenges,” she said.
She further said the review could provide a legal and policy foundation for the Lagos Boy Child Initiative, potentially giving the programme continuity beyond the tenure of the current administration.
According to her, institutionalising the initiative would not amount to withdrawing support from programmes focused on girls.
She said the state’s approach should instead recognise that boys and girls can face different forms of vulnerability requiring appropriately targeted interventions.
“Nurturing boys intentionally today is an investment in safer families, stronger communities and a more prosperous Lagos tomorrow.
“Lagos State has taken the lead. We hope many governments, institutions and development partners across the world will join this movement because every child deserves equal opportunity to thrive,” she said.
The development represents an attempt by the Lagos State Government to shift the boy-child conversation from largely informal advocacy into the domains of law, policy and institutional responsibility.
At the heart of the initiative is the argument that protecting boys should not be treated as a competing agenda to the advancement of girls, but as part of a wider child-protection system capable of responding to the distinct risks and developmental needs of both.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]