‘Some pipo bin dey yab my borehole drilling work’

‘Some pipo bin dey yab my borehole drilling work’
The British Broadcasting Corporation

“I chop yabbing several times from pipo wey say how lady go dey do man work but I believe I don gain respect now especially from men wey bin dey look down on me.”

Dat na how Maryam Hussain wey say she be di only female borehole driller for Kaduna state inside northern Nigeria begin her chat with BBC Pidgin when we jam her for site. 

Like many young pipo for Nigeria at di moment, Maryam study different course for school but fate don join her and borehole drilling together.

“For school na wood technology I study and my plan na to open my own big workshop after school but lack of capital na im stop me.”

“So at first I first I just join borehole drilling in order to make money then go back to first love wey be wood but at di moment borehole drilling don win me over.”

“Because with wetin I know now di next thing na to get my own borehole drilling company as na here my passion lie now.”

Maryam Hussain

BBC

Maryam say she dey happy anytime dem finish work and water begin ooze out from ground as na di ultimate goal be dat.

She yan say since she start nearly a decade ago she don drill hundreds of borehole across Kaduna state and beyond.

And dat she dey happy and proud of her work and dis na why she dey even mentor some young girls at di moment.

“At di moment e get some girls wey dey learn work under me and na something wey I dey proud of.

‘I bin face serious challenge from home’

“My major challenge when I bin first start na from my dad because my mum dey more understanding.”

“But for my dad e be like say at first e bin dey think of di nature of di job and how marriage go happun and all dat.”

“In fact at some point I go back home to meet di house locked but thank God all dat na history now as my parents dey proud of me and wetin i dey do at di moment.”

What about relationship?

Maryam say contrary to wetin pipo dey think her line of work no make men wey dey woo her scarce.

In fact she tok say di job, money and independence don make her hot cake for men mata.

“See at di moment na me dey pursue men sef unlike wetin some pipo dey think when I first start.”

She tok say na her plan to marry and have children of her own one day.

Ultimate ambition

Maryam tok say na lack of capital dey stop her if not her ultimate ambition na to start her own borehole drilling company wia she go gather many girls and begin teach dem work.

“Dat na something wey dey my mind and even today if I get di required capital na dream wey I go start.”