By Aliyu DANLADI
A female auto Mechanic, Miss Kadijat Abiola has urged young girls to take up skills in automobile repairs.
TBI Africa reports that Abiola gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
She said that the perception that mechanic job was only for men was false adding that anyone can get involved regardless of their gender.
“Our young girls should go into repairing of automobiles to be self reliant; it is a job that any girl can do, after all God created men and women with same kind of brain.
“I have faced many challenges in my life and I decided to take my destiny into my hands by learning the mechanic work.
“Now I am happy and I am using that to take good care of myself and my younger ones at home; I don’t depend on any man to give me money,’’ she said.
On if her parents supported her, the secondary school graduate said while her father supported her in learning the trade, her mother was against it.
According to the 22 year-old Osun born mechanic, some of her friends were mocking her decision to be a mechanic
“But today, my mother has softened her stand against me and my friends are even coming to beg me for money.
“Though I sometimes give them, but I also advice them not to depend on men for money because such men will take advantage of them and may even use them for money rituals.
“In December last year, I bought Christmas wears for all my younger ones; so you can see that my choice of being a mechanic is paying off,’’ Abiola said.
On patronage, she said that most of her clients were mostly men and that she maintained cordial relationship with them.
“Though some of the men would want to cross the line, but I know how to handle the situation to avoid embarrassment.
“My female clients also encourage me; sometimes they call me to their houses to fix their cars and they pay me well.
“Therefore, I encourage females to also come into the profession, because it is not meant for the men alone,’’ she said.
