Nigerian actor Jim Iyke, whose full name is James Ikechukwu Esomugha, has sparked debate after expressing the belief that single mothers may struggle to properly raise boys without a male role model in their lives.

Iyke shared his perspective during an interview with Okay 101.7 FM in Accra, Ghana, which has been broadcast and widely circulated online.

He emphasised that women are not naturally equipped to nurture boys into men on their own, suggesting that the presence of a male figure is essential to mould boys into resilient grown men.

“A woman can’t raise a man. You can’t, you’re not built for it. A single mother cannot raise a man properly.

“You need a male influence, go get your brother that’s doing well or your father or even any man that you trust.
“There has to be a male presence in it,” he said.

According to Iyke, while women are naturally nurturing, that alone is not sufficient to teach a boy discipline and resilience.

“Because women are naturally built to nurture, to love. And then what you’re going to raise is a very weak man?
“He is going to be everything like the men that left you.

“You need somebody that would discipline him, tell him ‘No’ as often times as possible, and put him in the grind,” he added.

To buttress his point, the actor cited an incident that occurred during a family vacation at a beach in France, involving his four-year-old son. He described how a group of white children mistreated his son, refusing to return his football after he had outplayed them, highlighting the challenges his young child faced.

“My son is a horrible footballer. I don’t know what gave him the idea because he’s half black, he can’t play football.

“So they dribbled the hell out of my son. He got sick of being dribbled, and he went to grab the ball. It was his ball.

“Now the white kids don’t want him to leave with the ball. There was a scuffle,” Iyke recounted.

The actor revealed that his son came back crying, but he deliberately refused to step in, even when his wife tried to intervene.

“I didn’t even act like I knew him. I didn’t even turn. So he dragged my shorts… She was from the corner of my eye rushing.

“That is the natural propensity of a woman to go aid him. And I told her, Don’t you dare come near him.
“This is a conversation between two men. Go back to what you’re doing,” he said.

However, Iyke's son eventually turned to face the children, fought them off, and recovered his ball.

“So he went back and won a shoot, four against one… He went in there, kicked some ass real quick, pushed down the biggest kid, grabbed his ball and started coming back.

“Now the parent got up and… your kids took my son’s ball. You didn’t lift a finger. Now he’s gone back for war and took his ball back.

“And then now you’re coming. I’ve never been more proud of him then, but that was the spoken understanding between us,” he narrated.

For him, the incident highlighted the significance of a father figure in a boy’s life.

“I’m not here to help you. I’m here to guide you. I’m here to protect you.

“I’m here to provide for you. The rest, you figure it out by yourself. And that’s what makes tough kids.

“That’s my idea of leadership,” Iyke added.


ASA