Nollywood actor Jim Iyke has caused a stir by insisting that single mothers need male involvement to raise boys into proper men.
In a recent interview with Okay 101.7 FM in Accra, Ghana, posted on X on Monday, the actor stated that women are not “built” to raise boys alone and emphasised the need for a male presence in a boy’s upbringing.
“A woman can’t raise a man. You can’t, you’re not built for it. A single mother cannot raise a man properly.
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“You need a male influence, go get your brother that’s doing well or your father or even any man that you trust.
“There has to be a male presence in it,” he said during the interview, which has quickly gained widespread attention online.
He further explained that although women are naturally nurturing, this trait alone is not enough to teach a boy discipline and resilience.
“Because women are naturally built to nurture, to love. And then what you’re going to raise is a very weak man?
“He is going to be everything like the men that left you.
“You need somebody that would discipline him, tell him ‘No’ as often times as possible, and put him in the grind,” he said.
To emphasise his point, Iyke shared a story about his four-year-old son during a family vacation on a beach in southern France.
He recounted that his son was bullied by his white peers, who refused to let him take his football after he had outplayed them.
“My son is a horrible footballer. I don’t know what gave him the idea because he’s half black, he can’t play football.
“So they dribbled the hell out of my son. He got sick of being dribbled, and he went to grab the ball. It was his ball.
“Now the white kids don’t want him to leave with the ball. There was a scuffle,” the actor recounted.
He said his son returned crying, but he chose not to intervene, even when his wife tried to step in.
“I didn’t even act like I knew him. I didn’t even turn. So he dragged my shorts… She was from the corner of my eye rushing.
“That is the natural propensity of a woman to go aid him. And I told her, Don’t you dare come near him.
“This is a conversation between two men. Go back to what you’re doing,” Iyke said.
The actor revealed that his son eventually went back, confronted the children, stood his ground, and retrieved his football.
“So he went back and won a shoot, four against one… He went in there, kicked some ass real quick, pushed down the biggest kid, grabbed his ball and started coming back.
“Now the parent got up and… your kids took my son’s ball. You didn’t lift a finger. Now he’s gone back for war and took his ball back.
“And then now you’re coming. I’ve never been more proud of him then, but that was the spoken understanding between us,” he narrated.
For Iyke, the incident reinforced his belief in the crucial role of a father figure in a boy’s upbringing.
“I’m not here to help you. I’m here to guide you. I’m here to protect you.
“I’m here to provide for you. The rest, you figure it out by yourself. And that’s what makes tough kids.
“That’s my idea of leadership,” Iyke added.
