Sanwo-Olu’s Wife Tasks Parents On Breaking Gender Stereotypes 

Wife of Lagos State governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has charged parents to break gender stereotypes by encouraging boys to acquire essential home management skills.

Sanwo-Olu gave the advice on Tuesday at Lagos Model College, Agbowa, Lagos, while speaking at the second day of the 2025 edition of the Lagos Boy Child Initiative Residential Workshop. 

The First Lady conceived the initiative to bridge the existing gap in the attention given to the development of boys.

Sanwo-Olu’s wife embarked on an educational tour of the Imota Rice Mill, alongside the students after motivational talks by various panelists in the college where the boys were lodged for the three-day event.

This year’s theme, “Empowering the boy child to be a well-rounded individual for the future,” speaks directly to the wellbeing, development and future of boys.

Sanwo-Olu said: “It reminds us that boys face numerous challenges—many of which go unspoken. From peer pressure, cultism, and substance abuse to mental health struggles and the absence of positive role models, boys today navigate a world that is increasingly complex. It is, therefore, imperative that we provide them with the right mentorship, guidance, and values to overcome these challenges.

“This underscores the need for parents, community leaders, youth organizations, and all relevant stakeholders to be deliberate in empowering boys with the right skills, mindset, and moral values, ensuring they grow into men of integrity and purpose.”

The Lagos State First Lady suggested certain approaches to develop boy child such as education and skills development; character and moral values; mental and emotional well-being and leadership and responsibility by standing up for what is right.

She added: “An interesting addition to this year’s workshop is the cooking competition, which aims to break gender stereotypes by encouraging boys to acquire essential home management skills. “Being well-rounded means excelling both academically and in daily life, and we must dispel the notion that certain responsibilities are meant for a particular gender.”

She, therefore, urged parents to be more intentional in raising their sons, adding: “These boys need guidance, love, and discipline. “Fathers must actively take up their roles as mentors, while mothers must continue to nurture their sons with wisdom and understanding.”

One of the panelists, the Agbowa of Agbowa Land, Oba Mamson Saheed Owolabi, noted that the traditional institution has a great role to play in the educational development of every child.

The monarch, who is a product of LSMC, stressed that in Agbowa community, people have been at the forefront of assisting teachers to enhance their teaching skills, pointing out that teachers were given free accommodation, portion of land for farming, as well as provided security to teachers to lessen their burden. 

He advised the students to be of good characters, saying: “Be focused on your academics and be of good behaviour because in the workplace, your character matters a lot. Even if you have a first-class, without good character, you are empty.”