The quest for satisfaction and fulfilment is changing the dynamics in different professions across the globe and Engineering is no exception. In time past, Engineering as a profession was majorly male-dominated but the gene is being broken with many women becoming successful in the profession. 

I am an epitome, one woman amongst many other women pushing the agenda of the girl child in Engineering. The beginnings for me was not an easy one but with the right passion and the desire to succeed despite all odds enabled me to scale through the hurdles of the profession right from my early university days. 

Having successfully graduated from the university as an engineer, breaking the walls of the labour market presented another hurdle for me to overcome. However, with my tenacity and resilience, I was able to break through, leading the path to the start of my career with a multinational Oil and Gas company – ExxonMobil – from which I have grown from a project Engineer to becoming the Head of Gas Ventures in Neconde Energy. 

Today, I stand to represent a possibility of the girl child in the Engineering profession with over twenty (20) years’ experience across the entire value chain of the Oil and Gas industry. 

To every girl out there, all you need is the will power to succeed; believe in yourself!  I have risen through the ranks purely by hard work and it has been a tough journey driven by grit and dogged determination. The obstacles exist but I do not magnify them. It starts from the mindset. I see challenges, not obstacles. When doors are shut against me, rather than retreat, I persist until it is open. Looking back, the journey has been rewarding and it is fulfilling to realize that I have earned a rightful place at the engineering table. 

To every girl child out there, if you can think it, then surely, you can do it!

–

Engr. Chichi Emenike
Head of Gas Ventures at Neconde Energy Limited