Women Academics From Nigeria

"The impact of the profession has not been fully realized most especially in the areas of getting value for money invested on construction projects and in the prevention of project abandonment. We can work with the architects, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers to produce cost-effective designs affordable by clients (public and private) by carrying out cost planning as well as cost control during execution to ensure that the estimated cost is not exceeded beyond what our clients can afford. These services will prevent project abandonment because all the designers would design to affordable cost based on our professional advise on removal of unnecessary cost. We can also prepare Schedule of Materials and Labor with cost to guide non-corporate clients at the grassroots in the execution of their building projects thereby providing cost saving measures."

"The practice of quantity surveying in Nigeria does not have the required awareness and recognition. The patronage does not cut across all the social classes of people in the country. It is limited to government, corporate bodies and institutions. The level of awareness of the profession and its services at the grassroots is still very low despite the fact that we have services that can benefit this group of people."

"From my experience, It can only be quantity surveying! I have come to realize that it is the course God destined me to study and I have no iota of regret."

"I have more than one mentor. All my lecturers, all those that I have passed through their tutelage in life both at home and abroad impacted one thing or the other in me- no matter how little!"

"As mentioned earlier, I was the only female student in my set but thank God, there were many female students in other cognate courses that we had lectures in common. With that, I felt a little bit comfortable. I should add that my course mates were courteous and nice! No intimidation whatsoever! I mixed with them easily."

"It was not all that easy, I must confess but I was able to cope due to my due to my ardent determination to excel coupled with hard work and prayers."

"It started in 1987 when I gained admission to study quantity surveying at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. As a young undergraduate, I never knew it would turn out great like this. I made sure I attended all lectures, did all assignments and tests and studied hard for all examinations. After my graduation in 1992 and Youth Service, I was employed in the Department as a Graduate Assistant and I moved through the ranks to becoming a Professor backdated to 2012 after acquiring the necessary qualifications."

"I actually wanted to study Pharmacy but I could not meet up with the cut-off points for Pharmacy for the three times that I did JAMB examinations. My dad tried his best using all the connections at his disposal including that of Late Mama H.I.D. Awolowo to get me admitted for Pharmacy, traveling with me to Jos, Markudi and Ikenne, because I was bent on studying Pharmacy but all to no avail because that was not God’s plan for me! Miraculously, at the last minutes, when all hopes were lost, God brought me into quantity surveying – the course I never heard of before at that time!"

"No! The road to success has never been an easy ride. There are always ups and downs. When I gained admission to study quantity surveying, I was the only female student in my set and you know the kind of feelings one would have being the only odd one, most especially when we had departmental courses offered by my set only. Thank God, I got used to the system with time and to the glory of God I had the best graduating results amidst male students. As I moved up the ladder for post-graduate programmes, the challenge of combining office work with academic career and matrimony arose. I could not see myself coping with the combined tasks but with the unalloyed support, understanding, words of advice and encouragement from the people God surrounded me with and by the special grace of God, I was able to rise above the challenges."

"My late parents, Alhaji Ganiyu Olulere and Alhaja Asanat Taiwo Iyanda, were loving, kind-hearted, caring and disciplined. They gave my siblings and I, sound education, taught us good morals and the fear of God."

"the natural sciences intrigued and fascinated me through the efforts of my teachers. I had the inner motivation to learn, and I was inquisitive."

"my dear girls in science: be strong, inquisitive, curious, assertive, resilient, and focused. Go for gold!"

"We need women Professors, Surgeons, Presidents, Leaders, Directors, CEOs, Engineers, Pilots, Research Scientists..."

"For young people: proper planning prevents poor performance. For girls: avoid teenage pregnancy and do not cast your pearls before swine. Although it happens occasionally, there is more to it than meets the eye; face it and do not let it hold you down."

"It was through this scientific exposure that I became very focused early in my career. I mean, I developed a specific area of research interest - and have consistently advocated using biofertilizers over and above chemical fertilizers for plant health management."

"My view of life is that one should get all the necessary qualifications because no one knows when they would be required and since I found myself in academics with the catchword "publish or perish". I worked hard to publish in both local and international journals in order to gain recognition in my field."

"Nigeria is blessed with many untapped natural and mineral resources that can be used in the production of construction materials. The use of locally sourced materials has a multiplying effect on the Economy creation of jobs, increase in our foreign reserves and boosting of our Economy."

"As a quantity surveyor, honesty, transparency and probity should be their watchword and they should be diligent in the performance of their professional duties. With all these qualities in them, sky will be their starting point and money will run after them."

"The school would ensure that practising members who had not registered with the institute but were domiciled in the faculty would be registered to enhance the growth of the NIOB."

"Poetry has not been given a pride of place in secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria."

"The attention of the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, has been drawn to a write up being circulated on media space about a decision purportedly reached regarding the admission of under-aged pupils into Junior Secondary schools in Lagos State."

"The world our children are going to live in is very different, it’s better to equip them with the skills needed for decision making. What we have to teach them (children) are the skills to make the right decision, especially when they face risky situations."

"Mrs Folashade speaks on teaching students decision making skills."

"Feeding a child at N73.30k per meal is not healthy for growth; hence the government cannot be running a boarding system with same amount that has been in place for over 18 years."

"Parents are concerned about the cost of this programme, ranging from fees charged by schools to the cost of data and devices as well as the cost of fuelling generators to ensure steady electricity power supply."

"The most important aspect of learning is the quality of teachers and we did not have enough teachers to actualise the set plan for learning in our public schools."

"Plans are also underway to ensure that our children in public schools are able to complete their term whenever the lockdown is lifted."

"My joy knows no bounds that you took the challenge seriously and have made the state proud, especially with this sterling performance at the end of the competition and also with the trophy and gifts. I congratulate you all."

"Despite the fact that the number of Schools in Lagos, especially in the private sector, has increased tremendously, the yawning gap between demand and supply clearly shows that more schools are needed to meet our educational target. We need more private schools to come on board for us to be able to cater for the ever increasing education needs of a fast growing metropolis like ours."

"Sometimes, we wonder why a child is not doing well or clever and we say they are demon-possessed. Many times, many of the children we are teaching are in extremely traumatic situations."

"There are several things that we can learn from all the experiences that we have had during the COVID-19 pandemic. We learned things like keeping social distancing, washing hands, and wearing masks. Even during the harmattan, I told people to wear masks. It is not just about COVID-19, they help against other infections too. I still do them when I fly on airlines and in crowded spaces. So we need to maintain these public health practices in Nigeria."

"It has been scientifically proven that if you get yourself vaccinated, it will reduce the amount of virus you have that you can transmit to other people. You also become better protected against the circulating virus. A lot of the vaccines and boosters are effective against variants that come up.it has to do with our government and policy. It is important not to disrupt travel and flights, but it is reasonable to require a negative test from individuals who are flying into the country from regions that have a high prevalence of the variant. If we do these three things, we are likely to stay above the difficulties and public health challenges caused by new variants."

"I am honored to be selected to join the Committee, as CEPI is a unique organization with a successful track record of brokering collaborations between researchers, industry, governments, health ministries, and communities to determine what emerging diseases need vaccines, and then supporting the development, manufacturing and distributing of these vaccines to communities globally."

"We do not have as many laboratories we would want to, however, the institute has supported laboratories in Nigeria to get certification urged the country to step its game in quality assurance as regards to laboratory science."

"Lagos had a prior history of containing the Ebola outbreak, so the country’s epidemiology and emergency response team was really strong and intervened very fast by closing down borders and putting shutdowns in place across several states."

"WHO brings the entire expert together, it is always good to listen to them."

"Historically, when a bacterium, in this case, mycobacterium tuberculosis, is exposed for a period of time to drugs, it will develop a mechanism to continue to exist despite the drugs, hence, you see the resistance."

"At the moment, we can see it is spreading in Africa, we can see the numbers. We are hoping that we have all the appropriate measures in place to limit the spread."

"If you look at the existence of the IHVN, it is based on obtaining funds and getting grants to do the work, but it does not exonerate the government from investing in research."

"Also, physiologically as we grow our immune system also becomes weaker and more vulnerable to infection. Anytime a virus infects the body, it senses something foreign and starts to fight it."

"If 90 per cent of us are doing the right thing and 10 per cent are not doing it, we won’t get rid of COVID-19. The rise in the number of COVID-19 cases is expected since we are dealing more with community transmission."

"I think the warmer temperature really limits its ability to do well but that does not mean it will not spread."

"I am praying Nigerians will take this serious and do the little we can to protect ourselves. Nigerians should not look too much at the government because we have a government that is a lot of cripple. Let us adhere to what we are told. We should not expect the government to do lot more they can do. We already know we have a broken system."

"The whole world is not secured, that is why once in a while we have what is called pandemic because it just sweeps the whole continent. We cannot be secured as a nation; we just need to get into the game of having the manufacturers that can jump in and begin to manufacture drugs, do testing, vaccines and more education especially for rural people to let them understand."

"Within these walls, you are able to learn new skills, take on new knowledge and try out some new experiments, take up some platforms, speak, think, engage and form relationships, network and then go out and make your mark."

"What we have and must return to is the extensive family system, connecting at different lines and levels."

"I do believe that men and women have a lot to offer and a university setting is a place where you have every opportunity to think, query, question and break out of your comfort zone."

"Just like people are predestined to fulfil a divine purpose, the task of nationhood building defines leadership praxis."

"The future we envision through conferences like this is building capacity, letting women see persons who have gone ahead, and putting thoughts together to say what new areas can we breakthrough on."

"Recently, the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) conferred full accreditation status on the institution’s Computer Science programme."