"We must appreciate the efforts of the Rector, Dr. (Mrs.) P.O. Idogho who has taken giant strides in all areas since she came on board especially in human capacity development for both academic and non-academic staff."

"It only requires us to develop the curriculum to suit what the nation needs at a particular time and redirect our focus to this area to train the manpower needed."

"The entire world is moving toward technical and vocational education, which is what we need; we need people with skilled manpower. We import skills to do our roads but we have them in the polytechnic sector."

"The effort will help to curb the issue of importation of skilled manpower and address the challenges of unemployment in the country."

"Already that issue is being looked into and while that issue was going on, we called the unions and we told them what was happening and at a stage the bursar and the national leadership of SSANIP met at the budget office to actually see what was happening with our salaries and they saw it and they equally realized too that it was not an issue of Auchi Polytechnic alone."

"We are now in better stead to continue to improve on teaching and learning environment in the polytechnic."

"It began with the mandate to train skilled manpower in engineering, sciences, environmental studies, business studies and art and design."

"I urge you to remember always that you have this polytechnic as your ambassador. Those who graduated before you held afloat the worthy banner of this school. You can do no less."

"The polytechnic is governed by rules and regulations which you are all expected to be conversant with."

"There is need to emphasise that education is now going the way of e-learning. The polytechnic has three e-learning centers, in addition to two units donated by NITDA. As much as we have encouraged staff to be computer literate, it is also necessary that students begin to imbibe the correct use of computers for learning."

"I was hired in part because of my research background in sedimentology and palynology, strong communication skills, and the challenge to take on a new culture especially in small town America. The other reason I was hired (I found out later) was that I was relaxed and comfortable throughout the interview process."

"Managing my time efficiently in order to achieve the right balance between family and career. I have reduced my service commitments on campus and set personal time aside to work on research and family matters. There are certain times when I close my office door just to spend some personal time. Competing for funding resources is increasingly getting more difficult and I have now developed research collaborations in order to attract funding. Some students can be challenging and I have had to send some to counseling."

"The freedom to dictate my research focus and the flexibility to work from home especially when I have to take care of a sick child sent home from school. Working in academia can be 24/7 because I work at any time but I have cut back on working during weekends to devote more time to family activities. The fact that I can impart knowledge about geology to students is also an exciting part of my job."

"These are some of the things that I wished I knew before starting an academic career:"

"My husband is an independent consultant and owns his electrical engineering/telecommunications company. He travels to clients' locations for work and is away from home almost weekly but is very engaged with our children's activities, working remotely with them on homework. I also travel several times every year, sometimes traveling abroad for field work, workshops and meetings. We have survived raising a family and balancing our careers by paying other people - students, their spouses - to help us with babysitting and transporting them to after-school and other activities."

"I have a very active research group and it currently includes four Ph.D. students, one M.S. student, and four undergraduates conducting research in my lab. In addition to interacting with these students almost on a daily basis, we meet as a group every 1 or 2 weeks. There is also time spent advising undergraduate students excluding those in my research group, writing and reviewing proposals and manuscripts, communicating with research collaborators, attending proposal review panels, committee meetings on campus, outreach activities, etc. Between running the geology and geophysics program and my duties as a faculty member I have a very busy job."

"As program head for geology and geophysics (my department has two other programs, geological engineering and petroleum engineering) administrative duties consume roughly 25% of my time. I work closely with the department chair on issues related to my program. The remaining 75% is taken up by research, teaching, and service. I typically teach two courses per semester, including graduate courses that I teach every two years. Some of these courses involve field trips."

"Resilience has kept me going, in addition to the support I have received from several male and female colleagues, students and my bosses."

"The perception that I have advanced in my career because of my gender and race is one that has also come to my attention."

"A male colleague would probably not be judged in the same light, and other women I know have experienced this."

"I have been perceived sometimes as being too aggressive when doing my job – be it research, teaching, service or administrative duties."

"The women who persevere go on to achieve great successes in their STEM careers. “S&T has put many structures in place to ensure that women in STEM fields succeed.”"

"Unlike their male colleagues, most female students and scientists lack the tenacity needed to succeed in STEM fields – they tend to give up easily if they fail at something."

"I often find out that some of these students were not encouraged or advised to pursue STEM subjects in high school, or to consider careers in STEM fields."

"Over the years, I have counseled several young women who felt they were ‘not good enough’ to succeed."

"This leads to the lack of respect female instructors in STEM fields face from some students in and outside the classroom, and also from some colleagues."

"She has been an outstanding interim, and I am pleased that she has accepted the permanent position."

"Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe is known for her passion for both undergraduate and graduate education and for her rich knowledge of academic affairs."

"Her leadership, mentorship and expertise in her field, combined with her institutional knowledge make her an ideal candidate for interim chair."

"I appreciate Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe’s willingness to lead the department of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering during this time of transition."

"Throughout the nomination process for the Woman of the Year Award, Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe was noted as a true role model for all current and future UMR students."

"Ask for help when she needs to. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it is a chance to learn and advance. Also, she should be proud of every contribution she makes in life and should not allow others to define her success."

"My advice is to stay true to her passion while being open-minded to a variety of opportunities. Paleontology has proven to be a key player in the puzzle we know today as planet Earth, especially as fossils were among the first clues used for plate tectonics."

"I am truly honored to have this exciting opportunity to serve the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our college."

"The women who persevere go on to achieve great successes in their STEM careers."

"Several people, including members of my family, tried to dissuade me from studying geology because women were not supposed to be out in the bush or field as a profession."

"I loved mathematics and science-related subjects."

"Unconscious bias that women are less qualified than men to study or teach STEM disciplines still exists."

"Success will come easier and faster as a young scientist if you are confident about your abilities, are not afraid to step out of your comfort zone, seek out a mentor, and collaborate on projects. This will improve the likelihood of obtaining competitive funding, and increasing research and publication productivity."

"Collaborate. Go outside your comfort zone occasionally and choose your collaborators carefully. Your chances of obtaining competitive research grants are higher and your research and publication productivity will increase, too."

""I make bold to say that there is nothing motivation cannot do in the life of a child. It works like magic." An interview with Prof. Joy chinwe Eyisi"

"Leaders are learners, if you stop learning today, you stop leading tomorrow"