Men are the problem, men are the solution

Severally, I have been disturbed by the number of reported violence against women and girls, by obviously men. Equally disturbing is that often, society thinks that the answer to this malfunction of a man is the prison.

Unfortunately, years of spending tonnes and tonnes of millions and billions of national currencies to fight gender based violence seem not to have assuaged the problem. If anything, the number of reported cases of violence against women and girls is on the increase.

But recently, the world was aroused to the reality of our situation. All that we have done in the past few decades globally is to have built structures to deal with the disease instead of preventing its occurrence. Virtually all countries of the world have formal institutions for women, yet, none of the countries considers that the men need any form of attention.

Men and boys who are identified as culprits in this gender based violence (this is not to pretend that there are no instances of women or girls being the aggressors), have not been adequately engaged in any form of guidance and instruction. Men are left to feel their way through life due to social norms that have preconceived who a man should be. How wrong we have been.

Men also have peculiar needs that must be attended to otherwise, we continue in the crisis humanity has landed itself.

The Kingdom Men, a ministry to men in detailing this seeming mis-application of the solution to gender based violence, thinks like Larry Titus, author of The book Teleois Man (Complete Man - Greek translation) that men are the problem but they are also the solution.

There is no way to deal with the man issue without engaging the men. Between May 11 and 14 in Lagos @Planet One Hospitality, Maryland, Lagos; men from different walks of life will gather to listen and discuss on the 7 mountains confronting the man in his society.

Leading the discussants will be 84-year-old Dr Christopher Kolade and he would be supported by Larry Titus (USA), John Ryherd (USA), Dr Biodun Adedipe (renowned Economist), Apostle Alex Bamgbola (Chairman, Lagos CAN), Pastor (Mrs) Mayokun Oreofe (founder/Chief Steward, The Victorious Praying Women's Ministry), Very Rev Sunday Onadipe (Provost of the Methodist Seminary), and Archbishop John Osa-Oni, among others.

Three sessions each day, topics will cover Governance, Religion, Family, Media, Arts and Entertainment, Economy, and Education. If you need answers to knotty questions in any area of these 7 mountains, the place to be will be Planet One, Maryland, Lagos between Thursday May 11 and Saturday May 13 while Sunday May 14 (Closing session) will feature Gospel Musical show starting 4pm.