APWEN Awards Scholarship to Indigent Female Students

Funmi Ogundare

The Association of Professional Women Engineers (APWEN) recently visited schools in the Oporozaweiware Village in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State and awarded scholarships to five, out of the 11 indigent girls who won its bridge building experiments.
The winners are Miss Diena Samson and Jessica Jonathan from Okorerenkoko Secondary School; Anity Etifia and Favour Ebiyernitu from Gbaraun Secondary School; and Miss Destiny Brakolu from Ogborun Grammar school.

The students will enjoy scholarship from secondary school to university level courtesy of the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Kingsley Otuaro and his wife, Dr. Ebirein.

The scholarship scheme was designed to honour the deputy governor’s wife who is also an engineer. The association also held its 2019 conference/annual general meeting in Asaba with the theme ‘The Dynamics of Environmental Change: Impact of Engineering’.

Explaining the purpose of the visit, the APWEN President, Mrs. Felica Agubata said the importance of the girl-child studying science subjects in school cannot be overemphasised and that the essence of stuying engineering is to be able to solve problems.
In her remarks at the conference, she highlighted some of its achievements to include award of scholarship to female students who showed interest in STEM through science experiment; construction of science and technology laboratory in seven states named after engineering role models; instituting an annual lecture in honour of its founding President and first female registered engineer in Nigeria, Mrs. Olutunmbi Maduka, as well as a three-day technical boot camp for girls in honour of Mrs. Mayen Adetiba.

She said the theme of the conference was apt, considering the global environmental challenges, adding that its dynamics is vital for the health and prosperity of the society, lengthening life span and improving the quality of life.

“The world now faces a number of challenges that are fundamentally broader in scope and larger in scale than the problems resolved in past by environmental engineers. Communities have grown larger than ever, technological innovations and major social changes have occurred over the course of the years and are still occurring.”

The president said engineering is expected to provide leadership in collaboration with other fields to address the dynamics of the environment, adding that engineering must position itself to keep pace with the scope and scale of societal needs.

In his remarks, the President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr. Adekunle Mokuolu stressed that women engineers must be working in such an environment that will ensure that they enjoy what they do. “We must promote the profession of our women engineers wherever they are.”

On his part, the deputy governor said the theme of the conference was apt, as man is inseparable from the environment and adds to knowledge.

He said the state places preference on technical and vocational education and that it has created 19 additional technical colleges that will turn out graduates who will add value and solve environmetal problems in the oil and gas producing state.

“There have been protests about environmental despoliation and what we saw was nothing to write home about. We are hoping to have an internal conference on sustainable environment. We have gone ahead to have a research and the forensic report from it will ensure that we can have a better environment.”

The Director, Natural and Biotechnology Development, Delta State Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Churchill Egbregba, who emphasised the role of women in nation building, said the ministry is ready to partner with APWEN to embrace all programmes that will contribute to the overall development of the nation.

“STEM module is key if we must employ engineer to our development, the present administration is prepared to empower professional women and mobilise effective participation in the development of science and technology,” he said.

The three-day conference featured paper presentations on ‘Impact of Engieering on Renewable Energy and how it Relates to Communication’; ‘Gasification Potential of Selectee Biomass in Nigeria’; ‘Green Design and Manufacturing for Sustainability’, among others, by a lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Mrs. Imhade Okokpujie.