FOR Nigerian's engineering sector and the nation to be developed in all its ramifications, the place of women engineers cannot be underrated.The Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Mordi, said this at the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, (APWEN), Lagos chapter's second annual business luncheon held recently at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, where men and women who have made their mark in the engineering sector or other endeavours were recognised.For instance, the Minister of Aviation, Princess Adaeze Oduah, was given achievers' award for her transformational programme in the aviation sector. Senator Joy Emordi, who was said to have maximally contributed to the socio-economic of Nigeria, was given APWEN's excellence award. Similarly, the Lagos chapter of APWEN gave innovative leadership award to the Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Mazi Nnamdi Udoh.Other awardees are Mrs. Valerie Agberagba, an engineer; Mrs. Patricia Opene-Odili, an engineer; Commissioner for Works, Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Alhaji Jubreel Abdulkareem and Mrs. Mayen Adetiba, also an engineer among others.Speaking at the event, Senator Emordi said though the field of engineering was pivotal to any nation's all-round development, regretted, however, that the women folk should be stimulated to practice engineering in Nigeria, therefore urging APWEN to put up concerted efforts towards reversing the obvious imbalance of gender in the profession.'APWEN should work to inspire more females into career in science and engineering through mentoring programmes, establishment of APWEN chapters in tertiary institutions if they don't exist.APWEN should continuously strive to facilitate networking programmes and propose policies and legislations that will help eliminate discriminatory practices and facilitate equal opportunity for women engineers.'According to her, this goal should be pursued with a view to promoting the achievements of women engineers, while strategically using APWEN's platform for advocacy and increased public awareness about their accomplishments.This idea, she said will further give voice to women engineers who are contributing greatly to our society, adding, 'I am interested in seeing our women engineers growing, taking leadership and challenging roles in the engineering sectors by not just being the woman on the team, but rather an engineer who is judged based on professional competence, capacity and ability to deliver.'Reiterating that engineering has gone beyond rhetoric, Emordi said it was high time for women engineers to evolve innovative ideas instead of mere invention. 'Our women and engineers should therefore work to move beyond invention to innovation and ought to deploy their technology breakthroughs to be more customer-focused and serving society's need.'Engineering curricula should be geared towards education for innovation and the development of a market mentality. Both NSE and APWEN ought to engage our policy makers to fashion the engineering curricula in ways that will incorporate both teaching and design for economic value. In this way, our engineers will be enhancing their capacity for success in the profession and contributing to national economic growth as well.'She said since engineering was of vital importance in the socio-economic growth and development of our nation through design of new products, increase of productivity, and thereby increasing the standard of living worldwide, women engineers, being change agents should deplore their talents in different sectors of engineering to assist in national development.Emordi tasked the women engineers to strive for excellence in their endeavor. 'Since opportunities for women engineers are generally limited, women should aspire to achieve excellence in engineering education and sectors that will provide opportunities for them to take leadership positions. The Ministry of Education should introduce policies and scholarships that will encourage girls to pursue courses in science and technology from secondary through tertiary education.'Earlier, APWEN's Lagos Chapter Chairman, Mrs. Felicia Agubata, said the luncheon was meant to recognize men and women who have made marks in their fields and to expose women engineers to current happenings within the industry in order to boost their professional practice and general development.Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, is a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). It was formally launched in 1983 and has a current membership of about 2000 registered engineers.
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