At the MMOA, we recognise the diverse community of marine professionals operating offshore and onshore in our sector, many of whom work as freelancers year-round. As the field season gains momentum and numerous members embark on projects, we speak to Executive Committee member, Oyeronke Adegbile, about what working offshore in Nigeria as a woman means to her.
“My childhood dream was to get involved in ocean adventures. This was because as a child my parents bought me a lot of storybooks from Enid Blyton series to James Hadley chase series; I grew up reading a lot of fiction and non-fiction stories with one of my favourites being the Clive Cussler series and his popular Seafaring adventures. A girl can dream, can’t she? But there were many limitations in the way. I studied Zoology as a bachelor and received a Masters in Fisheries. I then joined the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research in Victoria, Lagos as a researcher in 2008.
One of my first observations was the lack of active marine conservation in Nigeria, my home country and the need to change the narrative; I wanted to be a part of that change. My day job involved research into the biology of the Nigerian continental shelf including the EEZ and the resources it contained. This included going on marine and brackish water field trips and sea turtle and artisanal fisheries surveys; involving; sample collection, laboratory analysis, data analysis and report writing on various research projects.
My childhood dreams to go on ocean expeditions appeared to be coming true. However there were logistical challenges and funding limitations plus field trip opportunities were few and far between, with male researchers being preferred to female researchers. Why? Apparently it was because of their perceived ability to leave the home in the care of their partners and go offshore. Each time I challenged this idea. The question I was always met with was ‘Where will you put your family’. Were my male counterparts being asked this question? I knew that I needed to gain experience for career advancement.
Finally In 2011 there was an opportunity for four researchers to undertake a Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) job offshore the Niger Delta. During a sectional meeting, I stated that we women were also interested and should be granted opportunities. I didn’t know at the time that the head of department was actually listening to me. He asked specifically if I could go, and being one never to reject a challenge, I said ‘Yes!’. When I got home I informed my husband about my decision and when the time came we made the necessary arrangements and he made himself available to care for the kids with the help of my mother. I had the chance and I was sent for the HUET training along with three men in my department.
The HUET training was a little intimidating and rigorous. When I realized I was the only lady at that training, I braced up and passed it. And so the date was set for my first MMO job. I was assigned to be with the senior colleague, Mr Ndubuisi, who was the Lead MMO. We boarded an Arik air flight from Lagos to Portharcourt. Upon arrival at Portharcourt we took a taxi to Onne Port and when we arrived we were taken straight onto the vessel where we stayed for two days before sailing. The vessel, Wilbert Tide’ was a large machine to me at the time. I was apprehensive about sailing on this boat as I had read stories about the vessel being held hostage by pirates along with its crew the previous year. This was about the same time as the spates of kidnapping in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. I boarded with trepidation, and to add to that, I realized I was the only woman on the entire vessel. It became more challenging as I became seasick and it took me nearly a week to finally develop my sea legs and be able to take my turn doing watches.
The most challenging aspect of the trip was that I was the only woman onboard the vessel. Well, also the fear of being kidnapped, but I made up my mind to survive and thrive in a male-dominated industry from day one.
After the first MMO experience, it took another three years to start getting direct inquiries. Each time I put my CV forward, they ended up giving the job to a man. The excuses usually involved accommodation as every room was expected to house two people, and they couldn’t pair me up with a man, or afford to let me have a double room all to myself. At that point I realized there needs to be far more women doing offshore work. So Ladies, are you with me? We need more women in the MMO profession. Other challenges faced by women researchers include finding funding for the HUET and other training, which can be really expensive. There is the challenge of travel costs for transportation and accommodation during training. Not only that but training centers are offered only in a few specific states. Also, a lot of times after they scale the training hurdles ladies are sometimes still unable to secure MMO contracts until the HUET certificates expire because of some of the earlier mentioned limitations, this is usually so painful as sometimes these certificates are obtained with loans in anticipation of work opportunities.
As a child, I was fascinated by stories of mermaids in an underwater world full of mystery and beauty. Years later, I spotted a humpback whale breaching, it was the first of many sightings, but that initial encounter stayed with me for a long time. It was a magnificent and extraordinary sight. Being in the sea breeze on the open ocean can bring you peace and time to ponder the marvels of nature. You can enjoy a real connection to the rhythm and patterns of life at sea with an expansive horizon, and ever changing beautiful scenery, both above and below the waves.
I believe there are still many barriers to women doing this work, not just here in Nigeria, but in many countries globally. In my opinion, we need to scale up. We need more women to get involved in MMO work and marine research to break down the gender barrier. We need to change the gender ratio and encourage a more even mix of all genders doing this important work. What do you say? Are you with me, Ladies? Let’s start working happily offshore both now and in the future.
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