Ms. Funke Opeke, one of the few leading lights in the engineering profession among the women folk, is the Managing Director/Chief Executive, MainOne Cable Company Limited, the first submarine cable company offering open access, wholesale broadband communications capacity and across the continent. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, she takes us through her social routine outside the office
As one of the upwardly mobile executives, how do you unwind?
Well, I exercise. So, time, obviously with my work is at the premium. So if I have downtime, I try to keep fit. I get some exercise though it is not something I give as much time as it deserves. I like to read. Generally, I like peace and quiet. It gives me time to catch up with my family and we just spend time together.
Do you follow any particular regimen for your exercise?
Well, I’ve joined gyms but I found out that I rarely go. (Laughs) May be I should permanently stop joining gyms. But I do have quite a lot of exercise equipment. But also I don’t use it often enough. Depending on where I’m, if it is conducive for a walk or a jog and of course, a lot of things like that, I like to do that as well.
How often do you go on vacation? Is it something that is customary with you? And where are your possible destination points?
You know, it’s tough to go on extended vacations and I must also admit that with this job, it is tough. I mean, we are a company on a growth phase. So, it is really difficult for me to take any kind of extended vacation. Then, usually you have family obligations as an adult that you need to keep. So, I would say if I’m taking time off, it’s usually a few days to attend one family obligation or the other. Then the opportunity to spend time with my family or my extended family is what usually pops to the top.
Sorry to take you back. In the very recent times, when last did you take vacation?
We had an extended family vacation reunion in Ghana last year. But I was only able to spend four days. And one of those days, I actually went to the office, our office in Ghana. But my siblings and their families were there and so were able to spend some time together. And then, this spring, I actually spent some time in the United States in March, during the children’s school break.
You operate in an otherwise “male” dominated sector, engineering. So, how does it feel like calling the shot in this sector?
Well, after sometime you get used to it. I was the only female in my undergraduate days in the Electrical Engineering class in the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. Yes, as a technical field, engineering seems to be male-dominated. But after a few years, you stop noticing your friends, your colleagues and work goes on.
Sometimes when you’re meeting new people, they will be taking aback and may be expecting that because you’re a woman, you’re not exposed to the details. But I think people quickly realise that that is not the case. So, it’s not such a differentiator anymore and you know business and engineering is really about what you achieve and what you know and what you’re able to bring to the table. So, I think the results speak for themselves. I really don’t feel that direct bias. I think if there is opportunity available for women to pursue technical careers, it would increase our rights. Any woman that I see trying to pursue a technical career, I try to encourage…
Still talking about stereotypes, has there been any occasion when people discriminated against you at the workplace based on your gender?
Not really. I don’t notice. I tend to be a kind of person who doesn’t regret or look back. I’m sure gender or no gender, just like anybody else, some doors have been closed in my face. Maybe, it was because of my gender, I wouldn’t know. But of course, others have been open. So, I pursue the ones that have been opened. I have been able to make some success out of it. So, perhaps, I don’t dwell on it and I don’t particularly notice closed opportunities, I go through the ones that are open.
I recall at the last Information and Communication Technology Girls’ Day, Women in Technology in Nigeria called for increased participation of more women in the sector. As one of the few women in the sector, what are you doing to encourage young adolescent girls who are interested in the profession?
Definitely we’re doing our best. We sponsored the ICT Girls’ Day event by bringing together secondary school students. We had essay competition and we also brought in lot of professionals competition. We brought a lot of professionals.
Female professionals in the ICT sector to talk to them about pursuing career in ICT, they were able to interact with us and ask questions.
Besides, I mentor both at work and outside of work…
I am on the board of a non-for profit, that was founded by Mrs. Amina Oyagblola of MTN. It is into mentoring. Of course, a lot of the young professionals I work with through the years of my career in Nigeria and at the United States, I continue to provide friendly guidance to them about their careers. So, my mentoring takes both structured and unstructured forms… I do quite a bit of mentoring…
You said you read books. Can you remember the last book you read?
(Laughs) I think I’m reading a book now called “The Impostor”. I’ve also read “Long Walk to Freedom b y Nelson Mandela. I have been reading it for so long but I only just finished reading it just a few months ago…
As an individual, what is your philosophical mantra about life generally?
I think cause and effect. It is not that I have a philosophical mantra but I know that I do believe in taking responsibility for my life. I have strong faith in God…God, as someone said asked that somebody should bring water before He turned it into wine. He could have performed the miracle and just go ahead to make the wine but he wants us to be participants in the process. So, I feel individually and collectively that we need to take responsibility for ourlives, for society, for our decisions.
And with God’s grace, we are able to achieve something in life. I believe in hard work. I think it is also important for us to live disciplined lives…
Article source: http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/47106-%E2%80%98vacation,-a-luxury-i-can%E2%80%99t-afford%E2%80%99.html
