Emmanuel Adebayo

My name is Emmanuel Adebayo, I bagged a first degree honors in Human Anatomy in 2008 and proceeded to obtain a Masters in Public Health in 2012. In 2013, I started my doctoral program at the Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, Nigeria and was awarded Doctor of Philosophy in in Child and Adolescent Health in 2017.
I have worked with adolescents and young persons for over ten years as a mentor, project manager, researcher and teacher. Currently, I teach and research in adolescent health and development at institute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. I am a Co-founder for TeenNetworkinc, an organization that seeks to empower adolescents with life skills. I am also the CEO of ResearchAid an organization that seeks to improve research skills in Nigeria. I have always been passionate about harnessing and developing skills in young people. I believe that there is no other job that provides opportunity to relate with and impact the lives of young people as teaching. I have always participated training seminars and workshops long before I became a lecturer. Between 2008 and 2013, I was a major facilitator for Teenagers’ Outreach Ministries, a faith based organization that trains faith based teenage workers.
In 2016, a report showed that more girls are finishing school and proceeding to college as compared to boys. In a recent paper (2018) I co-authored, we discussed that boys go through a lot of pressure within the society and they lack the necessary skills to challenge these pressures. Most boys are caught in the
race of trying to be ‘men’ but do not understand what this mean. At this rate, while girls are getting more attention from interventions, boys are shrinking into the background. In January, 2016, I started a boys’ club. This club started with 10 boys that were 15-24years old. We hold meetings once a month. The themes discussed in our meetings include relationship with girls, self-esteem, and education, managing finances and running a business. I have been able to secure the support of some of my University Professors and colleagues who either participate as facilitators or sponsors of our meetings.
The number of the boys has grown to over 30 in the register. All the initial 10 boys have started their own businesses. The club also gives them a platform to learn from each other and share experiences.