In recognition of the fact that the percentage of women in the built of environment is nowhere close to that of their male counterparts, some women in the sector have challenged themselves on how best to conform to the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day: ‘Press for Progress, Reach for the Top’, in other to influence decisions that would favour them.
The professional women reached this decision when CED (Construction and Engineering Digest) celebrated professional women in the built environment last weekend at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja.
They advised that women learn to love themselves first, against previously, when they allow the opinion of men to matter so much to them to the extent they even forget who they are. What you think of yourself, they insist, is what you are.
Engr. Margaret Oguntala, a three time Vice President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), advised that, women should do the things they love doing and not allow any form of distraction to stop them. She maintained that, there is no career that does not suit a woman.
While emphasizing that they choose careers that they love and not the one that anybody thinks suits them, she explained that they are very likely to excel if its what they love doing.
Subsequently, she added: “Develop yourselves. I am sure most of us are registered members of our professional bodies. Get certification, both locally and internationally. Prepare yourself for that day when there will be vacancy at the top, when nobody can tell you that you are not qualified. If you are not prepared and a man gets it, you can’t come back and say it is because you are a woman. You must earn it.
“You must learn to balance your home and the work. The woman who is successful is the one who does the home balancing successfully. So you should prioritise, know when to do what and when to be what. You prioritise to know when to be a mother and when to be an engineer or any other professional.”
Engr. Oguntala remarked that when there is a call for action in their children’s lives, it is advisable to drop all other things and attend to them. This, she noted, can only be achieved if women mentor people with whom they work, so that in their absence, nothing would be left undone. We must not lose sight of the fact that we are both mothers and wives, the woman engineer indicated.
QS Mercy Iyorter, immediate past president of the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors also admonished that women get involved in community development if they must reach to the national level.
The purchasing economist encouraged women to learn to collaborate with other people of like minds as no single tree can make a forest. According to her, it is only when they collaborate they that they would be able to beat the opposition and competition staring them in the face.
“We must get involved in the struggle for leadership. Politics is the way if you must get to the top. You must learn the politics of the workplace, if you must get promoted when you are due for it. Even In our homes there is politics. You can do politics without compromising your integrity. It is about getting what you want and when you want it. There are times when there is only one vacancy and so many qualified people. The fact that you are a woman is the more reason why you won’t get it, so you must learn to play the office politics.
“First, you must register, as well as register with a political party. Civil servants are not allowed to be partisan but they are allowed to be political. So, there is no excuse. Apart from elective position, you also talk about appointments; it is only when you belong that anybody would remember you.”
Some other speakers such as Tpl Catherine Kehinde George, first woman town planner in Nigeria, advised that women groom their children to reflect the cultural values of the society.
In conclusion, they all agreed that they should strive to reach for the top, not by word of mouth, but by determined action as no other position best suits a woman than the top and also since no society thrives without a woman at the top.
Women who have distinguished themselves in Built Industries were honoured at the event. Some of the outstanding women who received Certificate of Achievement are: QS Mercy Iyortye, the First Female President of Quantity Surveyors, TPL Kehinde George, Engr Olu Maduka, the First Female President of Nigerian Academy of Engineering and the first registered Female Engineer at the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Engr Nkechi Isigwe, Engr Margaret Oguntala, a three time Vice President of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr Lola Banjo first female Director of Works, FUNNAB Abeokuta, Engr Olayinka Abdul, Engr Funmi Akingbagbohun, Engr Rahmot Odejayi, the first Female Executive Secretary Of Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, Bldr Araba, Engr Felicia Agubata, APWEN President and others.
