BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The aphorism, “what a man can do, a woman can do too” has been demonstrated by a mother of three children, Blessing Okoro, who has been thriving in the male dominated commercial transportation business notwithstanding the challenges in the sector.
Blessing said she veered into driving a commercial shuttle bus popularly known as ‘Korope’ to prevent her children from dropping out of school.
In an interview, Blessing narrated how debts by customers crumbled her food stuff business, which later affected the livelihood of her family to the extent she could not pay her children’s school fees.
Blessing, from Agwu Local Government Area of Enugu State said, “I was born in Ibadan but grew up in Lagos. When I got married, work brought my husband to Ilorin before I started driving Korope. It has been up to a year now that I have been driving in Korope.
“I had sold foodstuffs before but debts from customers crumbled the business and this partly affected finance in my family.”
On how she ventured into transportation, the driver said, “I sat one day and I thought about everything, and I remembered I know how to drive. So, I told my husband to look for a shuttle bus for me to be driving so that I can be making returns. My husband thought I was joking.
“I searched for those who will give me shuttle buses for delivery and no one paid any attention to me among those I met because I am a woman. I felt pained because at that time, I couldn’t even pay my children’s school fees.
“Eventually, I was able to secure a shuttle bus. When I started driving, it was not easy because I didn’t know much about it and other drivers who were male were assisting and guiding me on how to operate. Now, to the glory of God, I am now an expert and there is nowhere I cannot drive this Korope to,” she said.
She said constant body pain is one of the challenges she has been battling with since she started driving one year ago, adding that men used to make passes at her while on the wheel.
“One of the challenges I do face as a female commercial transporter is that male passengers make passes at me and want to have an affair with me, but because I am focused, I do not allow that to discourage me. I am doing anything to support my family and give them a good life. The only thing I cannot do is to steal or go into commercial sex.
“Some encourage me whenever they see me driving while others feel I could have done something better.
“I don’t take drugs or any power booster to drive, although, at times when I wake up, I feel body pains but whenever I look at my children, I feel empowered. My children have been the ones motivating me.”
She called on the female folk to brace up and engage in decent jobs even when they are seen to be dominated by men, adding, “I want to charge my fellow women not to hesitate in taking up any decent job even when it is dominated by the male gender. There is nothing women cannot do. If I have two or three vehicles, I will give them to female drivers because I know they will do it better.”
