Sandra Aguebor or Aguebor-Ekperuoh is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...

. She is reported as being the first woman mechanic in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. She is also the founder of the Lady Mechanic Initiative, which trains sexually abused and underprivileged women to become mechanics and fend for themselves.

Early life and education

Sandra Aguebor was born in 1970s in

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

, Nigeria to the late Mr. & Mrs. R.A Aguebor.she began her educational journey at Ivbiotor Primary School. Subsequently, she attended St. Maria Goretti Grammar School in Benin, followed by Benin Technical College, where she honed her technical skills. Her educational pursuits culminated in graduating from

Auchi Polytechnic Auchi Polytechnic is a Federal Polytechnic in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria. It is one of the first four Polytechnics established in Nigeria. It has over 10,000 students enrolled in business, technology, environmental and arts courses. It is locat ...

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

. Additionally, she holds a degree from

Goethe Institute The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

, a German in school based

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

Career

After graduation, she embarked on a career that included working for Edo Line and Nigeria Railway Corporation. Following the launch of her auto repair garage, despite facing setbacks like the demolition of her workshop, Sandra persevered. Transitioning to a mobile workshop, she provided on-the-spot emergency vehicle service along Lagos freeways and eventually established two more garages in the city. Today, she passionately dedicates her time to empowering young women, rescuing them from the streets and fostering their development by imparting valuable skills, particularly in the

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

. Speaking on

gender inequality Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which people are not treated equally on the basis of gender. This inequality can be caused by gender discrimination or sexism. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology ...

and

male privilege Male privilege is the system of advantages or rights that are available to men on the basis of their sex. A man's access to these benefits may vary depending on how closely they match their society's ideal masculine norm. Academic studies ...

, Aguebor explained that she had to put in five times more effort more than men to be taken seriously, however, she decried being labelled "lady mechanic" by her colleagues instead of just "mechanic". In 2015, she was the subject of a film, produced by

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

, titled ''Sandra Aguebor: The Lady Mechanic''. The film won awards at

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...

. Aguebor was nominated for the COWLSO award, an initiative established by

government in 1974 to honour individuals that have contributed to the "social welfare of the state". She was presented the inspirational woman of the year award by

Dolapo Osinbajo Oludolapo Osinbajo, (''née'' Soyode, born 15 July 1967) is a Nigerian lawyer who served as the second lady of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, as the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.Yahaya BalogunDolapo Osinbajo: A cultural icon! ''The Guardian ...

and Governor

Akinwunmi Ambode Akinwunmi Ambode (; born 14 June 1963) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Lagos State from 2015 to 2019. He was a civil servant for 27 years and a financial consultant before running for public office. Ambode ran for office of ...

, who noted that she used her "skills and talent to make positive impact to the society in an area dominated by men". She was also given a national merit award by federal government of Nigeria. Speaking to ''

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

'' at the graduation ceremony of 50 female mechanics, Aguebor disclosed that she has trained over 700 mechanics so far. She is married with children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguebor, Sandra 1970s births Nigerian mechanical engineers Pan-Atlantic University alumni Nigerian feminists Living people