… she also discouraged any form of gender discrimination against hard working and industrious women in any vocation of their choice.
A Nigerian female carpenter has reminded women that no profession or skill is exclusively meant for men in this world hence, the need for them to venture into any skill of their choice to add value to their lives and the society.
Mrs. Hannatu Terry a professional carpenter who is based in Abuja stated this while speaking with our reporter in a telephone interview, where she also discouraged any form of gender discrimination against hard working and industrious women in any vocation of their choice.
According to her “everything in life is all about determination, there is nothing meant for men or women. Before, they said this one or that one is meant for men, but everything is possible when a person puts his mind. You may look at it as hard but when you start it, you will discover that it is not that hard.”
Mrs. Hannatu a mother of three, said her father died when she was about 8 years old in the village, leaving them with their mother, who fends for them as the bread winner of the family. While she was still small she used to visit her uncle’s workshop where she observed how her Uncle who is a furniture craftsman made furniture.
She added that after the demise of her father, her mother had to take care of them but along the line things became very difficult for them so she had to be her mother’s backup. She abandoned school after Primary in order to help in caring for the family. Since then she could not further her education.
She only attended primary school due to the family’s poor financial background and the hardship that greeted them after the passing away of their father. Later she attempted to go into tailoring but noticed that it might not be of help in meeting her needs so, she left.
The Akwanga local government native in Nasarawa state said she joined the carpentry profession at the age of 17 due to life’s challenge and was encouraged by the little experience she had from her visits to her Uncle’s carpentry workshop. Meanwhile, at the initial stage she had challenges but for now she is happy doing the work.
“Actually, it wasn’t carpentry i started with, i went to learn tailoring but due to some issues i decided that this tailoring work will not bring enough income for me to be able to take care of my needs and other responsibilities. Meanwhile, i had an idea on carpentry work from my Uncle’s furniture workshop. I used to visit his shop to do some things, one day along the line i just woke up, went and bought carpentry tools. And i just started making stools. So, when we came down to Abuja i saw some people doing the work.” Mrs. Hannatu Said.
While narrating the circumstance that forced her into carpentry after the family moved to Abuja, Mrs. Hannatu said when they moved to Abuja she saw some people doing carpentry work and when she wanted to do a passage in their house she went and asked one carpenter to help her with the measurement and he guided her, she followed the measurement and did it.
She said the same thing happened when she wanted to do the noggin for their ceiling she asked the same uncle who again guided her on the measurement. “That was how I just picked up the challenge but any furniture shop I went to they will say is men job and not for women.
“So I just decided one day and went to site, where they are doing carpentry work and I told them I can do the work and when they asked are you sure you can do it? I said yes and that was how I started” she added.
The female Carpenter who started the work as a teenager also recalled how the first set of people she work with at site really encouraged her. They assisted her whenever she had any challenge that could discourage her in the work. And seeing her determination, they asked her to feel free and ask them anything she doesn’t understand that was how she learned new ideas that improved her work.
She also recount the challenge she had in the work, that though the next set of people she worked with tried to discouraged her by mocking her, saying by mere seeing, her hand cannot even killed fly, some will even tell her to get out and refused to give her the work but because she was determined, she never get discourage by their discouraging words.
“But sometimes some people will call me and give me work, some will say they saw me working somewhere or they have work with me before and they like my work, so that is how I continue” she said.
The 32 years Mrs. Hannatu noted that she has so far traveled to 13 states across Nigeria for work which includes Plateau, Bauchi Lagos, Ilorin, Rivers, Delta, Anambra, Cross river, Kaduna, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa and Abuja her based.
Through the carpentry work, Mrs. Hannatu Terry is said to be taking care of her grandmother, her 3 kids, younger brother and her late elder sister’s son including their school fees and other extended family responsibilities.
She called on ladies to work hard and take any work that can pay their bills rather than relying on people or seeing themselves as weak people.
