By Miles Olu and Oliver Iwelu
Speaking
as the President of The Association of Professional Woman Engineers of Nigeria
(APWEN) at the maiden edition of Olu Maduka Annual Lecture (OMAL) at the Henry
Fajemirokun Hall, Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Idowu Taylor,
Victoria Island, Lagos Engr. Felicia Agubata narrated to the uncommon audience
how six courageous women engineers formed the Association of Professional Women
Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) 35 years ago.
Adding that these six Courageous
Women Engineers came together and mapped out the technicalities involved at
formal launching of APWEN with Engr. Mrs. Joanna Olu Maduka as the founding
president while others are Engr. Nkechi Isigwe FNSE, Engr. Mayen Adetiba FNSE,
Engr. Nwakaego Ojukwu FNSE, Engr. Beatrice Oduniyi FNSE, and Engr. Idiat Amusa
FNSE. Speaking further Engr. Agubata said that the engineering profession has
offered Engr. Maduka FNSE to humanity in all ramifications of human endeavors,
adding that she is one of the very best that came out of the engineering sector
as it is right and proper to give honor to those who have earned it by dint of
hard work, vision, leadership, and uncommon service to mankind.
The president
of APWEN Engr. Agubata said that they are here to celebrate and attest to the
works and impacts of Engr. Mrs. Olatunmbi Joanna Maduka FNSE, FAENG, MFR adding
that she is an engineer of repute, a wife, a mother, an inspirational figure, a
leader and servant as she actually marked her 77th birthday ceremony
to the glory of God.
Speaking further to the gathering Engr. Agubata said that
APWEN unanimously did take a decision to celebrate and honor her own icon and
founders through a lecture series adding that as the very first female
registered engineer in Nigeria and the founding president of their great
association APWEN Joanna Olu Maduka has to be the number one to be celebrated
for her professional accomplishments and standing in the society are
compelling.
Engr.
Agubata said that in their own estimation, the event serves them better than
conventional posthumous activities that have become a standard in Nigeria
adding that it is their firm belief that it is the right way to celebrate and
honor a woman, an engineer and an administrator who blazed the trail that they
are following today as their bottom line is that their shining stars should be
celebrated in their life time. Speaking to the audience with a good will
message Engr. Prof. Fola Lasisi, professor of structures and environment
-------retired but not tired said that Engr. Mrs. Maduka has been a pioneer
everywhere, she was engaged adding that the details would be well articulated
at the lectures. In his words “My purpose is to congratulate out great leader
in engineering as she celebrates another birthday and wish our president many
more years of service to the profession and the whole society in good health
and happiness –Amen”.
Speaking
as the guest speaker Prof. Emmanuel Olukayode Oladipo , Professor of Geography,
University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba , Lagos delivered a thought provoking lecture
that triggered inestimable contributions at the end of the lectures. Prof
Oladipo said our environment must be good to live by all and sundry. He said
that each time it rains that Victoria Island is always flooded with floods and
he advises that the engineers should be held responsible for the poor drinages
here and there.
He said that our environment must be conducive for women largely
as it is very easy and convenient for men to urinate at any available space
wherever nature calls, but for women it is not easy for them to urinate in
public places whenever nature beckons on them. He said that Oluoshun Ojota dump
site is an eyesore to the Lagos State government who pretended not to see the
heavy health hazards the burning of dump site has caused all Lagosians.
He said
that in South Korea that their environment is well structured out for the
citizenry as he posited that the environment is only means of livelihood. He
said that in the next 40 years to come that the population of Nigeria would
have hit more than 400,000,000 people while the whole the globe is about 7 billion
people. He asked if by 2050 the population of Nigeria would double that of United
States of America, where is the environment for Nigerians to live!
He said that
engineers should in all sense of responsibility work out inclusiveness
environment for all and sundry. He spoke about the issue of sustainable
development as the entire world has to follow the climate change and the global
warming. He further posited that the women must be made to survive in our
environment and in all circumstances because women are the salt of the earth.
As he says that since 1961 humanity has taken much of the environment and that
our water would be affected if a proper attention is not taken on the
environment.
Prof Oladipo said that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has to be
properly maintained as vegetables could be grown without soil, which Japan is a
clear example where vegetables are grown without soil. Again he said that the
heavy smoke the Lagosian around Oluhosun, Ojota, Ogudu, Oshodi, Ikeja, Ilupeju,
are inhaling is really dangerous to their health. Speaking to the audience as a
guest speaker Engr. Yetunde Holloway MNSE said that the women engineers are
really doing well, but, the saddest thing is that about 70% of them do not go
out to practice after qualification, adding that it is not telling well on the
profession and women.
She said as qualified women engineers that they should
all go out to practicalize all they have learnt through trainings. She said
that women engineers have laudable roles to play for the good of the society as
she said that Nigeria lacks, good drainage system compared to Israel and South Africa
who have channels of drainage system.
She said that if a nation’s environment
is not properly managed that that nation would have multiple problems to
curtail with. She said that the education of female children should be given top
priority by the policy makers and stakeholders that the valueness of education
to all and sundry cannot be measured by any standard.
She said that there should
be heavy laws and regulations that would teach rapists and gang rapists some
good lessons whenever they are apprehended by the longer arm of the law. She
said again that women should not be meted with violence by opposite sex because
women are wonderful creatures from God and as such they should be treated with
care and all that. She said that everyone should be a stakeholder in the
education of the girl child because when a woman is educated a nation is
blessed. She said that education must be promoted for all children in Nigeria
most especially the females ones that education enhances knowledge for all
female engineers.
She painfully said that the majority of children dropping out
of schools are female ones, which she said that it is a bad and sad signal,
because female education brings development, to the society. She said that
educated women are better equipped for the unimaginable developments and she
concurs that women who are educated do extremely well in their chosen careers.
Yes, she agrees that women are the home makers but that women need to go out to
work and earn some good cash for themselves. She submitted that no economic can
do well if there is no good education as she agrees that women are huge human
resource to the economics. She said that it truly takes a whole village to
educate a girl child as education creates wealth for the educated.
She rounded
off her lectures with the uncommon quote of the former America first lady Mrs.
Michelle Obama 2014 “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the
potentials of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of her citizens.
Speaking with journalists Engr. Babagana Mohammed Deputy President of Nigerian
Society of Engineers (NSE) who stood in for the President, the Nigerian Society
of Engineers as the Chairman of the OMAL2018 lecture series Engr. Adekunle
Mokuolu FNSE said that Engr. Mrs. Maduka is a special breed to humanity. He
said that Engr. Mrs. Maduka has contributed immensely to the engineering profession
and that she is a trail blazer and role model that the younger women engineers
should emulate her in all ramifications. He said that Engr. Mrs. Maduaka is
aging gracefully because she did not look like a woman of 77 years old rather
she still looks like sweet 16 night gale. In his words “I wish mama Engr. Maduka
all the blessings of God upon her life, her husband, children and her
constituency in the name of Jesus Christ- (Amen)”
Speaking
with Journalists Engr. Dr. Edet Amana, FNSE, FAA Engr. CON, Past President
(ACEN) Association for Consulting Engineers in Nigeria, past President, Academy
of Engineers said that Engr. Mrs. Maduka is a through bred engineer who has
developed, managed, designed and contributed her wonderful expertise to the
engineering profession. He said that they have met with themselves in the
course of carrying out their duties as engineers adding that Engr. Mrs. Maduka
is a uncommon blessing to the engineering profession and the society at large
as he wishes her hearthy 77 cheers and cups of black coffee.
Speaking to the
audience the celebrant herself Engr. Mrs. Maduka first and foremost gave thanks
to Almighty God who has unimaginably bestowed His blessing upon her and all sundry.
She particularly thanked APWEN members, guest speakers, special guest of Honour
Dr. Michael Olawale Omolayole, co-founders of APWEN and all sundry for their
undying love for her and her immediate family.
................
Jacob
Prince
08063219792
princejv2@yahoo.com
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