Boys Without Borders, Nigeria held the third edition of its annual Ibadan Boys Conference on May 15, 2026, at the Ibadan Business School, bringing together students from twelve schools across the city.
Themed “Building Balanced Boys for a Balanced Future”, the event gathered students, teachers, guests, speakers, and volunteers for a day of speeches, competitions, and interactive sessions aimed at equipping young boys with life skills and mentorship.
The programme opened with hosts Favour Orok and Chisom welcoming participants before inviting co-founder, John Dare Okafor to deliver the welcome address. Okafor noted that the event almost didn’t hold but stressed the importance of raising boys who are balanced and self-aware. “When balanced boys are raised, the society becomes a better place,” he said.
Co-founder Solomon Idowu followed with remarks on the creation of Boys Without Borders, tracing it to a conversation between himself and Okafor. He introduced a short film, titled “BWB @ 6”, showcasing the organisation’s journey from the University of Ibadan to a national platform. A second video highlighted the story of scholarship recipient Ayotomiwa.
“BWB took it up, making sure that the recipient has six years’ tuition, meals for those years and monthly support for his parents”, one of the many quotes from the video.
The keynote address was delivered by Engr. Morakinyo, founder of Valencia Schools, on the topic “Beyond Your Environment, Rising to Global Relevance”. He also announced a new partnership with BWB on its scholarship programme.
“Your starting point doesn’t determine your destination. The choices you make today, does,” Morakinyo said. “You must see beyond. Don’t look at yourself today, look at yourself the way you want to be.
He stressed the value of mentorship, saying, “Find mentors, ask mentors. Your network is your net worth. Ensure you start anyway. Failure can be framed by saying, ‘I tried’. Ensure that when you’ve arrived, ensure that you give back. You’re not limited by where you start from.”
After the keynote, students participated in a quick icebreaker where they introduced themselves to someone new at the event and Dr. Olaoluwa Olorunfeni then spoke on “Substance Abuse and Bullying”.
“The world you’re living in, when people have emotions and they don’t know how to show those emotions or fix them, they end up using these substances,” he said. “People abuse substance because of belonging, bravado, and escape.”
On bullying, he noted it occurs “online, physically, anonymously, senior-junior bullying, etc.” and encouraged students to communicate issues when they arise and surround themselves with good people. A Q&A session followed, with questions from students on bullying by peers, family members, and seniors.
Other highlights included a speech by Mr. Ire Ajewole on handling pressure, where he emphasized that “response to pressure is attaining one’s goals.” Dr. Alfred spoke on living a balanced life, outlining seven areas to balance: spiritual, mental, emotional, social, and more.
A breakout session on sexual education was facilitated by volunteers and following the breakout session, the Richard Ogunjimi Oratory Competition saw 11 schools debate the topic, “Social media and young minds; a tool for growth or a trap?”, with each representative given five minutes.
The Chidera Anushiem Essay Competition winners were also announced: Joshua Oliya from University of Ibadan, placed third, Hunsu Gabriel from the University of Ibadan placed second, and Ogunlana Klostivivi from Obafemi Awolowo University emerged first.
In the oratory competition, Bishop High School took first place, Emmanuel College placed second, and Methodist Grammar School placed third.
The event closed with a vote of thanks and group photographs.
Schools in attendance included Oba Akinbiyi High School, Mount Olivet Secondary School, Valencia Schools, Community Grammar School Mokola, Ajibode Community High School, Abadina Grammar School, Bishop Onabanjo High School, Polytechnic High School, Immanuel College, Methodist Grammar School, Methodist Secondary School Bodija, and Valencia College, Ibadan.
