ABIA: SUPPORT YOUR FEMALE CHILDREN IN SCIENCE ORIENTED COURSES— WOMEN SCIENTISTS BEG FAMILIES

REPORTER: JOHN MADUAGWU

Government at all levels, organizations and families have been urged to support the girl child in pursuing their dreams in science-oriented fields.

An airline pilot, Miss Cynthia Imhansi-Jacob, and a network and telecommunications Engineer, Miss Temitope Taiwo, made the call while speaking with Radio Nigeria on the 2023 International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Speaking on her journey to becoming a pilot, Miss Imhansi-Jacob said she changed from being a lawyer to a flight cabin crew member which gave her the motivation to push herself further and became a pilot after getting more information about the sector.

She noted that despite being a male dominated sector, she had received the support and cooperation from the aviation community.

The civil aviator, however, lamented that the high cost of pilot training was a major hindrance for both male and female aviation enthusiasts and called on government at all levels and organisations to support Nigerians with interest in becoming pilots to enable them to train and get qualified.

For her part, Miss Temitope Taiwo said she became an electrical and electronics Engineer because she did not want to settle for careers traditionally perceived as meant for women, noting that Engineering had satisfied her desire to be challenged, different and always be pushed to think out of the box to find solutions to problems.

According to miss Taiwo, being a male-dominated sector has made it more interesting as she had had to do things better to prove that being a woman did not mean being less efficient than her male counterparts.

She attributed her success to her family, who supported her from the start and always encouraged her when the going was difficult.

The two women therefore called on Nigerian girls and young women not to allow themselves to be relegated but work hard to make a mark in their chosen careers, especially in the science sector, be committed to learning and always strive to be the best.

The United Nations set aside the day to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU