Honour for the Lady Mechanic
For daring to go into an occupation typically associated with men, the National Association of Polytechnic Students recently bestowed a leadership award on Sandra Aguebor, popularly known as First Lady Mechanic, in recognition of her mentorship and empowe
What influences a woman to go into a vocation generally thought to be the exclusive preserve of men still remains a mystery for many. But for Sandra Aguebor, a lady mechanic, it is the passion to do something different that drove her to enrol as an apprentice mechanic in 1987.
According to Aguebor, as a young school leaver from St. Maria Goretti Girls Grammar School, Benin City, the day she saw a big motor engine being dismantled, and saw engine oil dripping from it, was the day she fell in love with the vocation and told her father who supported that dream. Upon completion of her apprenticeship, she decided to set up a mechanic workshop and began to rub shoulders with her male counterparts. She did not just stop at that. She later established the Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI), where young girls are trained in motor repairs.
Accolade
At present, more than 200 girls have been trained through the LMI, a move that has earned her accolades both locally and internationally. The latest is an award by the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) in recognition of her contribution towards national development and for empowering young girls to be self-sustaining. The award ceremony was witnessed by representatives of the leadership associations of NAPS from Zamafara, Benue, Bornu, Niger, Imo and Lagos states.
Presenting the award, NAPS President, Comrade, Mohammed Emoji, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Comrade Oluwasegun Taiwo, explained that the award was bestowed on Aguebor because of her professionalism in empowering women in Nigeria.
Emoji said, “We are here today just because we believe where there is light, darkness disappears. We believe that merit must triumph over mediocrity; we are happy to identify with you and by that we are identifying with performance. NAPS is the second largest students union body in Nigeria with over 21 million studying across the country and abroad."
He said, “At NAPS, we promote leadership, unity and development at all level of our institutions. We are here to present our NAPS icon award for leadership to you which serves as an impetus to encourage individuals or institutions who have contributed to development of the nation. This award is for leaders who have served as an example to others.”
Giving further reasons for the award, the student union leader added, “Your confirmation took into consideration high level of professionalism. Before now, women didn’t have time for this but you have changed the narrative. You did not lobby for this award; it was purely based on your contributions. We are here to celebrate with you on all your achievements."
Empowering Women
Responding, the entrepreneur who was honoured at her workshop in Benin City, was full of appreciation for the honour and promised to continue to empower more girls in the country. She said the recognition came to her as a surprise, adding that she doesn't consider a selfless service to be a source of self-aggrandisement.
Aguebor said, “This is a great surprise to me and my trainees. When we got your letter, I asked myself, what is the award for? If it is for the job I’m doing, my selfless contribution has been a part of me. It is part of what I have been doing for 35 years now as a mechanic and the running of LMI for I5 years.
“I have been empowering women to be skilful and competent women who do not need certificate to look for jobs, but rather depend on their skills by increasing the bottom line of companies immediately they are employed.
"The Lady Mechanic Initiative has given birth to a whole lot of graduates who automatically fall to the Association of Female Mechanics of Nigeria.
“Today, I welcome the NAPS members for honouring me; for remembering the woman called Sandra Aguebor, the first lady mechanic in Nigeria. I never knew anybody will appreciate me this way. Thank you for taking out time from Niger, Borno, Benue, Imo, Lagos, Zamfara and Kogi states to leave your busy schedules to present this award. I really appreciate you."
The lady mechanic assured NAPS that the award will propel her to do more, adding that if in the past she was accelerating at 50 km per hour, she will increase her velocity to 100km per hour for optimal result.
Her words, "I want to assure NAPS that this award you have given me will propel me to do more. Henceforth, if I was accelerating at 500 I should be accelerating now at one million. It shows to me that students appreciate what I am doing.
Governor Obaseki's Drive
Aguebor also commended the women that work with her and Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki.
She said, “I also want to use this opportunity to tell you that where we are today was made possible by the effort of Governor Godwin Obaseki. He knows that women have a lot of potentials and realised that there is need to exhibit such potentials and that is why he gave the maintenance of vehicles to women, so that women of Edo State and outside will know that it is not all about prostitution.
"This has also helped to change the negative narrative about our girls in Europe. Today, women traffickers are now mechanics and they are doing well.
“I also want you to know that it is not all governors in Nigeria that can entrust their vehicles to women; he took the risk because he has seen that I have been doing a lot. It is not only Sandra but the women you see behind me, we have been able to give them hope, majority of them are from Edo State.
"Obaseki has given us the platform to mentor more women, to give hope back to those who have lost hope, to bring back those who think abroad is the only way you can make it. We have shown that it is possible to make it in Nigeria.
“This award will propel me to do more. We have received presidents and world leaders. My dream is that by 2030 we would have graduated over 10,000 mechanics in auto-electric work and other fields which will now fall back to develop our economy.
"By then they will have genuine reasons to travel to Japan and other countries of the world to work and not for social vices and also project the good name of Nigeria.
“The girls who receive training are paid N10, 000 monthly, in addition to free safety boots and uniform, we are doing this to encourage them with stipends because a lot of them come from home where they don’t really have support."
Trainees
Some of the trainees at the event expressed their satisfaction with the initiator, whom they described as a true mentor and a role model.
Joyce Jimoh, a 24-year-old graduate of Business Administration from the National Open University, said her choice of being a mechanic, a male dominated job, was because of the passion she has for it. She said at first, "my friends were disappointed but my family is proud of me and they supported me".
For Omoke Osaose, an 18-year-old Libyan returnee, “I chose to learn mechanic job because I don’t like hair dressing like other girls. I came back from Libyan in February 2017 when I was deported. I made up my mind to be a mechanic because I know from here I can provide for my family."
On her part, Faithful Ubochi, 17, said it had always been her desire to do something unique, something that people don’t think is good for ladies.
Ubochi said, "I don’t want to learn tailoring, makeup and all that because there are a lot people in it. I have seen people who have made success out of being a mechanic, so that is why I am in it. I have been here close to a year. Now, I can do some things on my own. Sandra is a builder and has affected my life positively. This kind of skill acquisition today is the way to go."