Meet Hanatu Terry, the female carpenter breaking stereotypes in Nigeria

Hanatu Terry is a single mother from north-central, Nigeria and a well-established carpenter in the capital Abuja. In Nigeria, both men and women struggle to do jobs that come their way in order to survive, although some jobs are perceived to be the preserve of men, while a few others are for women.

Carpentry is predominantly reserved for men, but the 30-year old has overcome all odds to have a place in this male dominated profession in Africa’s most populous nation.

“Actually, it wasn’t this kind of job I started with. I was into tailoring, however, a condition I encountered made me switch to carpentry. My family was not financially balanced then’’, Hanatu told our Nigerian correspondent, Michael Dibie.

She said as a child, she used to engage in some little carpentry work in the house, like making small stools. That was how Hanatu started.

“So any time you see her working, the passion and zeal she puts in her jobs truly brings the work and makes her exceptional,” site manager Emmanuel Ashita said.

Hanatu’s story was inspired by the fact that she wanted to do something daring due to the economic condition of her family.

The young female carpenter is well known in some localities in Abuja and in the neighboring state of Nasarawa, where she diligently exhibits her skill in carpentry, construction of benches, stools, tables, chairs and roofing of buildings.

“The way we joke, we talk, so I am always happy when I am around my colleagues,” Hanatu added.