A non-governmental organisation, The Equipped Boy, has identified mentorship as a crucial solution to Nigeria’s leadership gap.

The organisation said the government at all levels and relevant stakeholders in the education sector should support initiatives aimed at mentoring and empowering the boy-child across Nigeria.

The convener, Dr Patrick Uduma, made the call while speaking on the sidelines of the second edition of The Equipped Boy annual conference with the theme, ‘Outmatched Boys’, held in Port Harcourt.

The project, which focuses on boys aged between nine and 20 years old, is designed to train, educate and inculcate certain core values in the boys to help them stand out in society.

The conference brought together students from over 15 schools and was borne out of the need to address the increasing imbalance in the moral and educational development of boys compared to girls.

Uduma drew parallels with the United States, which he said began introducing mentorship in various spheres of life to bridge its leadership gaps.

According to him, mentorship involves modelling and coaching younger individuals on the principles of leadership, providing a framework that guides the new generation, believing that if leaders in Nigeria can imbibe the tenets of mentorship, it would significantly change the narrative of leadership in the country.

He emphasised that mentorship is not just about providing guidance but also about being part of the growing system and value system. Leaders, he said, should be willing to go into mentorship to shape the next generation of leaders.

He noted that imbalance has resulted in boys losing concentration and lacking values, which hinders their ability to find themselves and reach their full potential, explaining that the initiative aimed to help boys discover their identity, value system, personal law, ideas and to raise awareness about the importance of mentoring and empowering boys.

A panellist at the event, Elijah Jeffrey, said many parents in this generation are not equipped to groom their children to imbibe the right values.