Nollywood actor Jim Iyke has sparked a heated debate with his statement that single mothers cannot raise proper men without male influence. According to Iyke, while women are naturally nurturing, discipline and resilience in boys require a father figure or a trusted male presence.
In a recent interview on Okay 101.7 FM in Accra, Ghana, Iyke elaborated on his views, stating that women lack the inherent ability to raise boys into men without male guidance. “A woman can’t raise a man. You can’t; you’re not built for it. A single mother cannot raise a man properly,” he said.
Iyke emphasized the need for a male presence in a boy’s upbringing, suggesting that women can seek help from trusted male figures, such as brothers, fathers, or mentors. “There has to be a male presence in it,” he stressed.
To illustrate his point, Jim Iyke shared a personal anecdote about his four-year-old son’s experience on a beach in France. The boy was bullied by peers who refused to let him leave with his football, but Iyke refused to intervene, allowing his son to resolve the situation himself.
According to Iyke, his son was bullied by white kids who refused to let him leave with his own football after outplaying them. Iyke recounted, “My son is a horrible footballer… 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’s son ran back crying, but Iyke refused to intervene, even when his wife attempted to step in. Instead, his son eventually stood up for himself, winning a confrontation against the other kids. Iyke proudly recounted, “He went in there, kicked some ass real quick, pushed down the biggest kid, grabbed his ball, and started coming back. I’ve never been more proud of him than that.”
Iyke believes that this experience demonstrates women’s tendency to prioritize emotions over reason in certain situations, such as mentoring young men, which he believes can hinder effective guidance.
