The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has delivered on her promise to celebrate the champions of the 2025 Lagos Boy Child Initiative (LBCI) Cooking Competition with exciting rewards, including professional training, shopping vouchers, and an exclusive fine dining treat.

The winners were recently hosted to a special luncheon at the Red Restaurant, Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, alongside their family members, where Dr. Sanwo-Olu commended them for their remarkable performance and reaffirmed her commitment to creating opportunities for boys in the State.

She explained that the annual LBCI Prize Giving Ceremony goes beyond the distribution of prizes. According to her, it is an avenue to showcase the purpose of the initiative, launched in October 2021, to protect, nurture, and empower boys to reach their full potential.

“The Lagos Boy Child Initiative was conceived to provide balance in advocacy. While efforts to uplift the girl child have been widespread and commendable, we must also pay equal attention to the boy child, guiding and equipping them to become responsible leaders, professionals, and citizens,” the First Lady stated.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu observed that the cooking contest had successfully dispelled long-held gender stereotypes, emphasising that the kitchen is not the exclusive domain of females. The competition, she said, demonstrated that boys can equally excel in all fields when given the right platform.

The Honourable Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Ali-Balogun, commended the First Lady for her consistency in promoting the welfare of boys through the initiative.

He noted that the cooking competition was particularly commendable because it reinforced the importance of practical skills alongside formal education.

The Commissioner further stressed that developing life skills among students is key to nurturing responsible citizens, adding that the Ministry is proud to align with the objectives of the Lagos Boy Child Initiative, as it complements the government’s wider agenda of raising a balanced generation of young men and women.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Lagos Boy Child Initiative, Mrs. Scholarstica Adeniyi-Abass, highlighted that the competition had become a flagship programme of the initiative because of its ability to challenge stereotypes and open new doors of opportunity for boys.

She described the support of the First Lady as a strong driving force behind the steady growth of LBCI activities across the State.

Adeniyi-Abass explained that beyond the prizes, the exposure given to the boys through fine dining, industry tours, and professional training will leave a lasting impact on their personal development.

She assured that the initiative will continue to expand its programmes to reach more boys across all divisions of Lagos State.

The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of shopping vouchers to the winners from Ikeja, Lagos, Badagry and Epe divisions who received ₦100,000, ₦80,000 and ₦50,000 vouchers for each team member, for free shopping at Justrite Superstores and Ebeano supermarkets in the State.

Beyond material prizes, the leaders of the winning teams will also attend a three-week, fully sponsored continental culinary course, a collaboration between LBCI, the Dipo Jaji Foundation, and Red Dish Chronicles Culinary School.

The students were further exposed to the hospitality sector through an educational tour of Eko Hotels, including behind-the-scenes visits to the Red Restaurant Kitchen and the Nigerian Restaurant Kitchen.