ASHENEWS reports that the former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has said that Nigeria also needs to have a Ministry of Men Affairs to address issues facing men in the country.
Nigeria currently has only the Ministry of Women Affairs, headed by Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye.
Speaking at the annual maiden lecture organised by Crisp Nigeria (CrispNG), a youth-focused online media organisation, Dalung said many men are dying early due to challenges confronting them adding that “justice demands” that men should also have a ministry exclusively dedicated to them.
“I have a neighbour here in Abuja who is an orphan, now in his late 70s. He used all his money to train his children and support his family. They are well established, and his wife is now travelling, going for omugwo from Amsterdam to China to America, visiting their children. Meanwhile, the man is left here in Abuja; he doesn’t have money anymore because everything he worked for in his life, he invested in the family.
“Each time his wife returns, she comes back with a Bible and wine as gifts for him. That is the average situation of a Nigerian man, yet allegations of failure are constantly lumped on us as being responsible. When you mentioned the idea of a Ministry of Men’s Affairs, I was pleased, as I have been an advocate for it.
“We need a Ministry of Men Affairs because there is no ministry exclusively for men. Just because a man is the President of Nigeria doesn’t mean he is the representative of the male gender; he is just a male, just like you have women in positions. I think justice demands that we should give more attention to our men.
“Men do not live as long. If you go to the church, you’ll see a committee of widows, but you won’t find a committee of widowers. Most men are gone between 50 to 60 years, and nobody is concerned about them.”
