Female computer engineers: Triumphing in male dominated terrain

Ladesope Ladelokun, Idris Oyindamola, Babalola Mujeeb and Obi Lovelyn Lagos

Always in the business of dispelling the stereotype ideals held of women as belonging to the weaker sex, some daughters of Eve have dared to triumph in the terrains dominated by men with the bravery of a lioness. In business, politics and virtually all professions under the sun, they have refused to be intimidated by men, throwing the ‘weaker sex’ tag into the trash bin.

In many fields, their courage and talent have stood them out and there is no stopping them.

Such is the story of Temitope Khadijah, otherwise known as Alhaja. Unlike some Nigerian graduates who allow their university degrees to go to their heads, Alhaja had her future carved out for her right from her days as an undergraduate at the Lagos State University (LASU).

“I established myself as an independent woman in an era when my peers either depended on their parents to sustain their education or ran into the arms of “sugar-daddies” to survive financially,” she told The Daily Times crew at her busy office in the bustling Computer Village.

Alhaja said she confidently paid her school fees and other bills from
what she earned as a laptop and cellphone technician while on campus.

Now all of 15 years in the business of phone and laptop repairs, the skilled technocrat says she has no regret dumping her first degree in accounting for phone and laptop business.

Dispelling the notion that unemployment forced her into the business, Alhaja said she had always nursed the ambition of self employment from her youth.

“I’d always preferred working as a businesswoman to working for anyone. Moreover, my passion for this job has nothing to do with unemployment! I started this work while I was in higher institution and since I was versed in it, I decided to establish myself after school.

“Though this terrain is known to be largely dominated by men, I never, in way, felt intimidated, oppressed or inferior to the sea of male competitors around the Computer village.”

The feminine bond

In the course of time when many other ladies came into the business, The Daily Times learnt that the womenfolk formed a bond to assist themselves in the business of computer repairs and software trading.

“We seek the assistance from each other when we encounter any difficulty in areas like internet, software or programming issues,” Alhaja revealed.

Looking into the future, the self-made boss declared that there is no going back.

“My skill and passion has brought me fulfillment. Now, my utmost wish is to expand this business beyond its present state,’’ she said.

Another female computer entrepreneur, Mosunmola also acknowledged that her interest in computer workings and repairs encouraged her into the business.

A wife and mother of many children, Mosunmola, who has explored and pitched her tent in the phone and laptop repairs for over a decade, is an alumna of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTEC).

This is her story:

“The inspiration to start this business is my life story which I hesitate to talk about. I acquired the skill of repairing phones secretly while working as a sales girl with a phone company; but somewhere along the line, my boss discovered I had mastered the skill of repairing phones and he did the unthinkable: he withheld my salary and announced that he was taking it as my apprenticeship fee.

“That spurred me on. I became determined because the exposure caused a bubble to burst in me: that was when I discovered my love and flair for the job, so I determined to push and succeed in that path and today, over ten years down the road, I am happy that I made that decision.”

Her testimony does not exclude some valleys and pitfalls, though.

“In my line of business, there are certain challenges that I face. For instance, in the process of repairing a client’s phone, it has the tendency of getting damaged  the more. The phone which would have been repaired for a mere N500 may end up costing N7000 at my expense, but I still have reasons
to be happy.”

Happily, the huddles do not affect her family because, “My husband understands and trusts me with what I am capable of doing. He also
promised to expand my business, so I have no intention of quitting anytime soon.”

Mosunmola advises young women who may be interested to come on board. “All you need is determination and good plans. You will find it a source of sustenance, but be ready also for challenges,” she warned.

The Daily Times crew, in the course of combing the Computer Village, found that Mosunmola is not alone.

Olamide, another entrepreneur’s journey into phone and laptop repairs business also started when she was an
apprentice about twelve years back.

In a chat with our team in between her work, Olamide said she had always wanted to be an employer from childhood, instead of a job seeker. “I loved everything technical as a child, so my inspiration for this work came from different places. After my secondary school, my dad said I should study accounting.

“But I said to myself that rather than go to school and later start looking for job, I decided to venture into something that will
make me independent.

“Then I went into phone repairs and after two months on it, I proceeded into laptops repair, because they are two different things entirely. Thereafter, I went into software engineering and combined it with hardware engineering which involves dismantling of systems and reassembling them back.’’

The young lady reasons that technology requires passion, “Especially for us women interested in it. Over the years, I’ve had employees that had worked for me and I have trained many apprentices with very good results.”

But the mother entrepreneur had a word of caution for aspiring entrepreneurs.

“Studying computer engineering is not enough to make you an engineer, but the passion you have will make you practice and excel in it.”

Technology, says, involves the practical aspects and not the classroom theory we read.

“As an engineer, you must be ready to update yourself regularly and face challenges that come with the profession.’’

Are all these confirming the cliché that what the men folks are doing here, the women are doing it better? The answer may be a matter of individual opinion, but there is a unique signature of professionalism visible everywhere in the Computer Village, – and The Daily Times found that the fingers that form the signatures – are women!