Thriving in a male-dominated field requires great commitment, unwavering determination and perseverance.
These virtues are being exhibited by a young secondary school leaver, Miss Bose Adeleke, who has proved to her critics that women can survive and be successful in endeavours and disciplines that are largely populated by the male gender.
Not minding that vulcanising work requires so much strength to carry out, Bose, who became an apprentice to her father, who is a roadside vulcaniser in Lagos State, has been changing stereotype and fusing life to the popular saying, “what a man can do, a woman can do better.”
Lifting heavy tyres, clutching weighty irons and other tools, pumping tyres and plastering tubes, Bose has not been ashamed to get her hands dirty in order to support her father in making ends meet.
Even though her initial plan did not include being a vulcaniser, the 20-year-old lady said she was asked by her father, Samson Adeleke, to always join her at his mechanic workshop after school hours.
According to her, Samson would instruct her not to touch anything at their workplace, but, determined to contribute her quota, she would insist on assisting her father and learning the craft.
In an interview with The Point, Bose, who is now popular among most vehicle owners plying her area, said virtually all her customers had for one time or the other doubted her capacity to fix their tyres at first meeting, adding that she proved them wrong.
She added that her mates mocked her when she was an apprentice, advising her to quit “because vulcanising is only meant for men.”
The young lady who looks forward to gaining admission into a University and studying Business Administration, said she has become the choice of many motorists and motorcyclists because of her competence and that her gender and young age have been giving her edge over other vulcanisers in the area.
“I started this vulcanising work seven years ago. Then, I was in JSS1. My daddy didn’t want us (Bose and her siblings) to be idle when we were in secondary school, so he brought me here (workshop) to learn vulcanizing work.
“When I started this work, my mates in school used to make fun of me, saying that I am doing a work known for men. Some of them even advised me to quit but I did not mind them. After I finished learning the work, I started attending to my father’s customers.
“At first, most of our customers used to doubt my competence but I proved them wrong. They now love my work. It was tough convincing them that I would be able to deliver. Some of them wouldn’t want me to work on their tyres but when I insisted, they discovered that I can do it very well. They even give me more than what I charge,” she explained.
On her future plans, Bose said, “I have been saving all the money I have been making so that I can further my education. I want to sit for UTME and gain admission to a university to study Business Administration. With this work, I know I won’t lack in school.”
