INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: MEET ENGR. DR. FELICIA NNENNA AGUBATA

Today is the international women’s day.

The International Women’s Day, March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2022, is: #BreakTheBias

In line with the international women’s day, Mamaj Aviation blog is celebrating some leading women holding their own in the Aviation, travel and tourism industry in Nigeria. These are women working assiduously behind the scenes, pushing boundaries and leaving a mark!  Women, whose stories will inspire you…

 

Please introduce yourself, your name, where are you from.

I am Engr .Dr Felicia Nnenna Agubata . A Nigerian , from the South East part of the country .

I am an employee of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

Give us a brief career history. What schools did you attend?

 I schooled at Enugu State University of Science and Technology . I graduated with a second class upper division in Computer Science & Engineering ; Masters degree and Doctorate degrees in Electrical/ Electronic Engineering (Communication option) . I started my career with Compuleb Nig limited in 2001 as a sales Engineer.Subsequently , I joined the aviation industry in 2002 as an Electrical Engineer 1 in Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.    .

Pursuing a career in Engineering which was once a male dominated field, what challenges did you face?

Male domination of the Engineering profession is historical and somewhat cultural. However the cultural myth about Engineering being too hard for women has been shattered with the influx of brilliant women in the field lately.

As regards challenges encountered, I would say there are none I consider peculiar. If you have the aptitude and you work hard, you will excel in Engineering as you would in other fields. Examination questions and certifications are not gender sensitive. It is either you are good or you are not. Nothing is gender dependent in Engineering.

You are very passionate about grooming young women. What inspired you? Tell us some of the projects you have done so far…..

 We are all gifted differently. I have a key strength in percolating knowledge and inspiring others, especially the girl-child to be the best she can. My background as a child from a rural setting where life was communal ; tasks and chores jointly undertaken ; support for each other in task completion was routine . My outlook in life is a product of my childhood experiences, nature and nurture. To teach; to inspire; to support and remove barriers to motivation for the girl-child have become for me a kind of conditioned reflex action. I am doing what I truly want to do. Absolutely nothing but what I desire and love to do.

You have invested so much in grooming young women through your advocacy programs. We all know it takes a lot of finances to do this? How do you get funding for your projects?

My focus is to help more girls to find a purpose in life. I found my purpose by chance or through circumstances that are at best fortuitous. The question I often ask myself is ; if I found my purpose in life by chance and through divinely arranged benevolent interventions , why not support others  especially the girls to become the best versions of themselves ?  What indeed, will a lit candle lose, if used to light the unlit ones? Questions and thoughts along the above lines, helped me to firm my resolve to support ; to mentor and indeed to put my talents , time and modest resources towards bringing up others .Like minds and corporations who share similar visions and ambitions have been immense in partnership. NNPC in particular sponsored most of the initiatives. Royal Academy of Engineering (UK ) was also very supportive .

What is your most memorable Career moment?

My most memorable career moments in no particular is the Scholarship won from Women in Aviation that enabled me work as an intern at International Civil Aviation organization ( ICAO) Headquarters in Montreal for three months and being appointed into the technical board of a parastatal by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

You wear many caps, how do you cope with the demands of the different roles? What strategy have you adopted to help you cope?

Balance is key in life and so is planning. If I have 4 hours to cut a tree, I will use 2 hours or more to sharpen my knife. In essence, I prepare well for the tasks I commit to or that are assigned to me . I also delegate. In so doing, I achieve the spelt out objectives through and with people who share my dreams. Time is a fixed resource. We are bound to be pressured juggling tasks. The Most importantly thing, is that a determined person, will always find the time to do what has to be done.

What challenges have you encountered on the job and on your journey to the top, especially as a female?

I am still far from the top. So, until I get there, it would be presumptuous to discuss how or what it feels like on the way to or at the top. There is no peculiar challenge on the job All I owe myself is to deepen my skills and broaden my experiences . This way, one is able to cope with the demands. At the moment, I am a work in progress in the hand of my maker.

On the gender angle to your question, permit me to say that we may be over stressing what may truly not be very important. This is not to deny that there are no gender issues. There are.. For instance, my industry and profession are male dominated. No argument. But has that rubbed off badly on me, more than being a boy rubbed off on boys? I am not sure of that.

If you are hardworking, honed your skills and developed your competencies , you will neutralize gender bias to a very large extent .

How have you been able to balance work life and family?

Well, sometimes it is tough but with a clear understanding and acceptance of who you are and expectations of each role, it is easier.

In my own case for instance, I am someone’s daughter, someone’s wife; a mother to my children etc . I come from a family and I am married into a family. I have a nuclear and extended family attachments and responsibilities..

I try to attach the right level of weight to each responsibility. My nuclear family is at the peak of my pyramid of priority, then my extended family etc. Again, I am a woman, an Engineer and a Government employee. Each, with associated responsibilities, and expectations that I clearly understand and accept.

With reference to this year’s campaign theme, what is your opinion about bias at the workplace against women? How can we change the narrative?

In my setting there is bias. Can you control it? No. What you can control is to develop your skill and ensure you have the capacity for the work you are doing today and the work that will evolve tomorrow. Once you are adjudged to have the right skill mix and capacity, the bias will become a secondary issue.

I have a practical mind set and in no way inclined to bemoaning what I can figure out how to deal with.

What advice do you have for the aspiring young women out there who may want to tow your line of profession?

I welcome them on board. I will advise them to pay attention to important things including self-development and to work hard in order to achieve their goals. Their focus should be to complement and collaborate with men and not to compete. Competition is unnecessary and does not bode well for team dynamics and collaborative output.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years

 In the next 5 years, I will still be a practicing engineer of course. I will also work hard to be at the strategic level of practice in order to impact policies and standards. Of course, I would have also inspired a lot of girls to read STEM subjects and ultimately qualify as engineers.