Boys Without Borders Nigeria, a boy-child advocacy organisation, hosted the maiden edition of the Ibadan Boys Conference on Friday, the 17th of May, 2024, at the Parliament Hall, Oyo State Secretariat, in celebration of the International Day of the Boy Child.
The event featured two keynote speeches, a panel session, and an oratory contest. Participants at the event were male students from six schools within Ibadan: Abadina College, Bodija International College, Graceland Prime College, Immanuel College, Maverick College, and Pathfinder College.
It began with the introduction of representatives of the participating schools, who gave short introductions of themselves and their schools, after which the National Anthem was sung. Following this, Mr John ‘Dare Okafor, co-founder of Boys Without Borders, gave the opening address, highlighting the organisation’s journey so far, and welcoming attendees, after which the first keynote speech was delivered. In his speech on the topic, ‘Becoming Functional Men’, Mr Precious Ishola, CEO of Ileemore Technologies Limited, gave tips on navigating challenges and exploring the future as a boy child. Similar themes were explored in the second keynote speech by Mohammed Ahmed, a Clinical Psychologist, who spoke on “Male Mental Health and its Realities”.
The event proceeded with the Panel Discussion, moderated by the co-founder of Boys Without Borders, Solomon Idowu. Panellists for this session include Students on LinkedIn Founder, Covenant Odedele, Freelance Photographer, Samuel Alabi, Convener, Comic Con Ibadan, Erivic Adebayo, and Selar CEO, Paul Adams. This session covered personal experiences on maximising the boyhood phase as one transitions to manhood.
Afterwards, the Richard Ogunjimi Oratory Contest commenced, with representatives of all six schools delivering five-minute oratory speeches on, “How to Challenge Stereotypes and Build Up the 21st Century Child”. Judges for the contest were Neyen Williams, former President of The Literary and Debating Society, UI, Olatunji Vincent, Jaw War 2024 Winner and erstwhile President of the Faculty of Technology Literary and Debating Society, and Eriomala John, erstwhile President of the Great Independence Hall Literary and Debating Society. The fierce contest concluded with Bodija International College (David Pelumi Faleye) emerging first, Maverick College (Adeyeba-Oris Roy), second, and Methodist Grammar School (Oladimeji Olasunkanmi), third. The three schools walked away with cash prizes of Fifty-Thousand, Thirty-Thousand, and Twenty-Thousand Naira, respectively.
The event also featured spoken-word performances from Oluwatunmise Esther and Oluwabukunmi Amoo.
Speaking with the UIMSA Press, John ‘Dare Okafor, expressed his gratitude for the event, saying ”I stand in awe, witnessing the realisation of a long-held dream for Boys Without Borders NG. The successful hosting of our inaugural conference marks a significant milestone in our journey as an organisation. I’m grateful for the unwavering support of our sponsors, Nigerian Breweries and Cormart Nigeria, whose contributions have been instrumental in making this vision a reality. I also extend our heartfelt appreciation to the individuals who have generously donated to our cause. This conference is just the beginning of greater exploits for us, and we’re eager to continue empowering the boy child and breaking borders that limit their potential. We look forward to many more years of impactful work, and we thank you all for being part of our story”.
Hello, this is ADEYEBA-ORIS ROY of Maverick College Ibadan and I would like to thank you for coordinating the competition. Thank you so much. I noticed that under the first picture, my surname was misspelt as Adebayo-Oris which is wrong. Please, I would like you to consider changing it to ADEYEBA-ORIS. Thank you.
Hello, this is ADEYEBA-ORIS ROY of Maverick College Ibadan and I would like to thank you for coordinating the competition. Thank you so much. I noticed that under the first picture, my surname was misspelt as Adebayo-Oris which is wrong. Please, I would like you to consider changing it to ADEYEBA-ORIS. Thank you