Foundation Declares 7.4m Out-of-School Boys Security Threat

The Yargote Foundation has warned that Nigeria risks raising a generation of boys increasingly vulnerable to crime, radicalisation and social instability unless urgent action is taken to address the deepening neglect of the boy-child.

At the 2nd Empower the Boy-Child Summit in Abuja yesterday, the founder and chief executive officer of the foundation, Anna Hussaini Pai, said Nigeria is “at a crossroad,” battling a dangerous crisis of insecurity, poverty, substance abuse, institutional decay, eroding social values and widespread school closures across northern states.

Pai said the prolonged shutdown of schools had exposed millions of boys to recruitment by gangs, extremist groups and drug networks.

She cited alarming statistics indicating that 7.4 million Nigerian boys were out of school, while 78% of boys aged seven–14 cannot read or solve basic mathematics, according to UNICEF and UBEC. Only 3–4% of out-of-school boys possess foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

“These are not just statistics; these are warning signs,” she said. “A boy without guidance becomes a man without direction, and society pays the highest price.”

While acknowledging significant progress in empowering the girl-child, Pai warned that the widening developmental imbalance between boys and girls is now destabilising homes and communities.

A representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Prof. Tijani Bande, said national progress is impossible without deliberate support for the boy-child.

“If we do not support the boy-child, if we do not build families, we cannot build communities. If we do not build communities, we cannot build nations,” he said.

He added that while efforts to empower the girl-child must continue, equal attention must be paid to supporting boys to restore societal balance.

Representing the assistant inspector-general of police for Zone 7 Headquarters, Mohammed Gumel, chief superintendent of police, Ogundele Akinlabi, described the summit as “timely, strategic and deeply commendable.”

He said the challenges facing the boy-child often go unnoticed despite their implications for national stability.

“By creating a platform that enlightens, guides and empowers young boys, you are contributing directly to shaping responsible, confident and morally upright young men,” he said.