Female engineers pledge to end incessant building collapse

The National President of Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, (APWEN), Dr. Elizabeth Eterigho, has canvassed more roles for members of the association in engineering endeavours towards reducing cases of building collapse in the country.

Speaking yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State, at the inauguration ceremony of Risikat Yusuf as the 10th Chairman of Ilorin chapter of the APWEN, Eterigho noted that women are naturally created to painstakingly handle whatever is committed into their hands.

She said: “Our mission is, indeed, to stimulate women engineers to achieve excellence and leadership in the profession and society. It is a platform for stimulating, promoting and enhancing women’s interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“We encourage sound engineering practice and create avenues for women engineers to collaborate with professionals across disciplines in Nigeria and globally. We can be solutions to many problems within or outside our professional callings. By our natural being, we can serve as solutions to incessant building collapses too.”

The APWEN is a non-profit, non-educational service organisation and a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. APWEN was formally launched in1983 and have a current membership of about 4,000 registered female engineers both in Nigeria and in the diaspora.

The association is committed to technological advancement of Nigeria by driving professional growth of its members and encouraging young girls to take up the study of science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

She described Yusuf as a professional, whose leadership qualities will immensely impact on growth of the Association in the state.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Life-long Learning: A Panacea for Maintaining A Balance at Home and Profession,’ Eterigho described it as apt. She said: “This is because each day the woman is faced with responsibilities at home and her career, which she needs to balance so that one does not suffer for the other.

“We are to show the way, through our chosen field in engineering, to the rising generation of women, that their gender should not be a reason for inefficiency at home or work place.”