National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Funmilade Akingbagbohun, tells EMMANUEL OJO how her passion for engineering spurred her to achieve success in a profession generally dominated by men
What sparked your interest in engineering?
One of the things that sparked my interest in engineering was the love to create things and to create solutions to challenges. I remember when I was in Form 2 and had an issue with the white-and-black television at home. At that time, the cartoon programme, Tom and Jerry, was in vogue and children watched the programme between 3pm and 5pm. I came back from school one day and I tried to watch TV but it didn’t come on. I took a screwdriver, went to the back of the TV, tinkered with it and it came on. Later on, I asked which profession dealt with such an activity and was told it was engineering and I said, ‘Oh, I would love to be an engineer’. When the next debate came up in my school, I chose to speak in favour of engineering against medicine and it made me go into research to know what engineers do and I realised that everything that had to do with what we use – roads, vehicles, houses – is basically engineering and that was one of the reasons I went into engineering, irrespective of the domination by the male gender.
Were you initially offered admission to study engineering?
When I got my first admission, it was in Mathematics and I felt that I didn’t want to study Mathematics. I felt that I wanted Engineering and when I started studying Engineering, I was the only female in my class but it didn’t deter me. I discovered that one could create things in engineering from raw materials that could be useful to people. I enjoy it and I love creation. Coming into engineering wasn’t accidental for me. As I said, it was my interest in things within my environment that made me feel that engineering was where I wanted to be. So, it was not an accidental one; it was love at first sight for me when it comes to engineering.
Did you have the approval of your parents?
My parents were a bit sceptical because during the time I got into engineering, females, especially in Mechanical (Engineering) were not many. Most of the females were in Electrical (Engineering) and Civil (Engineering). My parents were a little bit sceptical but a lot of people got involved in the matter. I can remember one of my dad’s friends, a professor, who was the head of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos then. He advised them (my parents) to allow me to study whatever I wanted. It wasn’t easy but they accepted as time went on.
You said you were the only lady in your class when you started. Were there other ladies who later joined, maybe through direct entry? Or did it remain that way till graduation?
When I started studying engineering at the Yaba College of Technology, I was the only female in my class at the ordinary diploma level, and at that time, we had more than 45 boys in my class. It wasn’t an easy road when we did foundry, melted metals, welding, and machining. It was not easy but I was able to stand my ground and I was able to carry on, looking at the goals I set for myself – that I wanted to become an engineer – and I was able to achieve that.
When I got to the higher national diploma level, three other females joined us. I will just estimate the percentage of the females to be five per cent, compared to the males in the class, but we were able to adjust and put ourselves together. Engineering is not only about physical strength, it’s also about mental strength, it’s about creativity, and the ability to visualise challenges and create solutions. Engineering is moving away from physical strength; it’s now gradually going into ‘thinking without the box’ for us to get solutions to many challenges in communities and the country at large.
How would you describe your relationship with your male classmates?
Of course, we had a very good relationship with the boys in my class and to date. We still have get-togethers, hang out sometimes, and invite ourselves to events. We were able to get along very well as members of the association and members of Mechanical Engineers in Practice. We got along with the boys and they didn’t look at us as if we were different. We were able to get the job done very well together. I must say that in the industry, we have some males, who have been able to adjust very well to having females in their fields, but all the same, we have a sizable number of males who ask the question: What is she doing here?
Did you experience any form of bullying at school or on sites?
I had an experience that I will never forget in my life. I had an issue with another engineer on site and he said, ‘Madam, what are you doing on this site? I have somebody like you at home’. I said, ‘No, who you have at home is your wife. I am an engineer and you are an engineer. We are here to create a solution to the problem that we are facing here and it doesn’t have anything to do with gender’. So, of course, in the field, you have men who accept females easily and you have some of them who bully. There is a lot of bullying in the industry and one of the things that I have taken very well in the field is to stand my ground, to be confident in who I am, to be able to look at my strengths versus my weaknesses and be able to curate an opportunity for myself in the industry.
The bullying is there in the industry because some of the men cannot stand women being in that field and in that space that they feel is their space, but over time, we have been able to adjust ourselves well. A larger percentage of men in the industry have been able to embrace women and encourage us. So, I want to appreciate the men for being able to embrace us and encourage us in the industry and to create grounds for us to break into the industry.
What does being the national chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers mean to you?
It was quite challenging when I took over as the national chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers. I was the first female to become the chapter chairman in Lagos, leading all the Lagos mechanical engineers before I became a three-time national executive member of the NIMechE at the national level, and now the national chairman. It was a huge challenge; I had some male colleagues competing with me, but I took the bull by the horns because I had goals and a vision for the institution and I felt that I needed to contribute my quota to the development of mechanical engineering practice in Nigeria. It was a huge challenge and it was one I thought I was going to be able to surmount.
Are you the first female national chairman of NIMechE?
Yes, I am the first female national chairman.
In Nigeria, some mechanical engineers don’t practice the profession. Why is that so?
One of the challenges we have in the country is the employment policies and the categories that we have as employees; so, one of the things that happened to the industry, especially, in the engineering industry, is the lack of curriculum to be able to help the mechanical engineers fit into the industry. There is a huge difference between the classroom and the industry. When I was studying Mechanical Engineering at a higher institution, I had a lot of practical experience. There were modern machines; at that time, the shaping machines and the foundry were working well. Those things were there for us to be able to practice because engineering requires hands-on practical work, skills, development, and things that you can see and touch. So, one of the things that have affected the practice over the years is the lack of good equipment for use in the universities, and the curriculum of the university system itself.
Technology is evolving and things are changing. Dynamism is coming into technology itself and everything is now done on the computer; The Autocad system, the solid works, the industrial aid design, 3D printing, a lot of them have taken over. Unfortunately, the tertiary institutions in Nigeria have not been able to adapt to the world-evolving technology being used in terms of engineering practice all over the world and that is one of the things that have affected the mechanical engineering practice in Nigeria.
Although we have a lot of people who are not practising engineering, there is a huge opportunity in the mechanical engineering space, be it in automobiles, cooling systems, conversion of petrol to compressed natural gas, or production and manufacturing. There is a huge space for mechanical engineers to practice in Nigeria and I feel that as long as we can take the bull by the horns, we will be able to move up in that space. Mechanical engineering is about problem-solving and we have a huge space to solve the problems of Nigeria and to increase the productivity and growth of the country itself.
Many mechanical engineers are also not seen in the area of car production, repairs, and maintenance in the country as it is one of the core areas of the profession. What is your thought on that?
One of the things that have brought about the lack of mechanical engineers going into car production is the economic policies of the country and that is why we must have a lot of engineers in the political space. The policies in the country are not very conducive for production and manufacturing in the country, and that’s why we have that huge space. For instance, we have quite a lot of people going into car production in Nigeria and are trying to strive as businessmen in that industry. The policies must be favourable to create an enabling environment, not just for vehicles, but for different aspects.
Nigeria used to be the production giant in Africa but presently, the policies have not made it possible for production to be able to thrive in Nigeria and I believe that as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, continues to put round pegs in round holes, and engineers begin to have their space in politics and policy-making, it will make it easier for us to go back to where we were before, as the giant of Africa in terms of production and manufacturing.
This is a generation where artificial intelligence and technology are taking the lead in virtually all sectors. What are your thoughts on factors that are making Nigeria lag in this area?
I believe that nothing is drawing us back from artificial intelligence. Nigeria is coming up very gradually in terms of artificial intelligence through data science, data analysis, analytics, and all that. So, I believe that nothing is stopping us; nothing is holding us back; Nigeria is coming up, and we are struggling with it but we are coming because, over time, we have had quite some interaction with the world at large, especially for engineers. We do a lot of interactive and exchange programmes with other countries and universities outside the country. So, I must say that Nigeria is coming up in the area of AI. We have quite a number of our engineers doing well in design, so, I feel that nothing is stopping us; nothing is holding us down. We are getting there and we will surely get there.
In Nigeria, the patronage of foreign-manufactured cars seems to be higher than the locally manufactured ones. What are your thoughts on this?
My thought on importation is that practice makes perfect. If we don’t patronise ourselves, we won’t grow. I felt that we have come of age with local content policies, but over time, I discovered that it was a white elephant. I feel that the government of Bola Tinubu should revisit the local content policy and local content committee. Local content is not about oil and gas alone, it has to do with our manufacturing policies, it has to do with our initiative policies and I believe that the administration of President Tinubu will be able to work on the policies that have to do with local content.
We have quite a lot of initiatives from our engineers. Our engineers have shown that we have what it takes to lead ourselves. Some of the inventions that are being created by some of our engineers are taken outside the country and are being modified outside the country. A lot of the designs that you see that are imported from China were made by our local engineers here, but because the environment is not enabling enough, it has become a challenge. I feel that if we don’t begin to celebrate ourselves, nobody is going to celebrate us. I feel that the government has a lot to do in terms of encouraging investors, manufacturers, innovations, and creativity among Nigerians. Let me assure you, it’s not because I am a mechanical engineer; engineering is the only aspect, the only discipline that can change Nigeria. It’s the only discipline that can move Nigeria into a producing nation. I think the government is not doing enough in terms of celebrating engineers in Nigeria.
