SPOTLIGHT: Chinyere Iheme, the Kano female engineer who loves ‘men’s job’

By the roadside at Court Road, Sabon Gari axis of Kano state, a signboard reads: “Female Engineer For All Kinds of Petrol Generator”. 

The engineer is Chinyere Iheme, a native of Imo state.

The mother of two said she learnt the skills from her father, who is still actively in the trade back home in Isu LGA.

Iheme picked interest in the craft when she was 14 years old, and went ahead to bag a diploma in mechanical engineering at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo state.

She said she has since upskilled and is able to “fix any issues” a generator has. She added that “no customer has complained” of her services.

“I learnt it with this small Tiger generator, but since then, with experience, I started working on big ones. Now, I can work on any type,” Iheme said.

Iheme relocated from Imo to Kano when she got married, and after trying out other businesses, she settled for fixing generators.

She further said she has a flair for jobs typically done by men, and that she would teach her daughter when she turns seven.

“I don’t know why. I don’t learn fast when I do women’s job. But once I’m doing men’s job, it will be very easy,” she said.

Iheme hopes to further her education and expand her business. But for now, she is being stalled by a lack of finance.

Watch the full video below.