“The conversation we should be having now is how to raise more women leaders. We don’t have 30% of women in C-Suite or leadership, let us have that first before we can say women don’t support women.”
You have over 2 decades of experience in the Oil and Gas sector, and you also have a foundation. Can you briefly describe yourself?
My name is Onose Brenda Ataga: I am a mother, and a firm believer in socioeconomic development. These many parts of me have shaped the woman that I am today both personally and professionally.
In terms of my profession, I have been in the Oil and Gas sector now for over two decades. I have worked within the entire ecosystem from the downstream sector as a trade operator; reading contracts and analyzing markets, to becoming a commercial trade manager and supply manager at Oando Plc. Going on from there to head the Import division at CONOIL as the General Manager Imports: in this role I had to manage trading, shipping, finance etc. After which , I joined the government starting off with my core skill set in the downstream sector.
Joining the government was quite enlightening . I realized that a lot of decisions by government officials were made by people who did not fully understand the impact of these policies on indigenous businesses, and eventually the impact on Nigerians.
I have traversed from the downstream sector into the midstream, by conceptualizing and designing different initiatives within the Gas and modular refinery reforms led by the then Minister of Petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu. I was part of the team that developed the oil and gas policy framework, I also worked with the Kachukwu administration to design various programs which are still ongoing in Nigeria today such as the MDGIF.
Following this, I was retained by the Timipre Slyva administration to continue the gas reforms. Here I started the LPG expansion program, conceptualized the CNG for transportation programme, created the first ever targeted intervention fund of N250Bn with the CBN etc., and some of these programs are still going on today.
The other part of me that I take on as seriously as my career, is my social work. So I have a foundation called TRUE FOUNDATION; we provide humanitarian assistance and vocational training skills for female and male youths in what we call “low training but high impact skills”. We have been in operation for over 10 years and impacted over 3,000 families and 15 communities.
How were you able to create a work life balance in the 20+ years that you worked in the Oil and Gas Sector?
I would say that I was lucky. My late husband was very supportive and he understood what my goals were, which was really important to me as a professional woman. The first set of support to create that balance was from him and I am really grateful for that; he allowed me to pursue my career. In addition to that, I also enjoyed support from my family members.
What was your greatest inspiration as a professional woman?
I was inspired by the fact that there was so much more out there to achieve. I always tell myself “You’ve gotten to this point, don’t look back now, look forward.”
A lot of women didn’t have the privilege to play in the Oil and Gas sector 20 years ago like you did. Can you share some of the challenges that shaped you?
Speaking of challenges, the challenges then are still the same challenges women still face today; “not being heard, not being validated for what they bring to the table”. For instance, I had to perform 3 times more than my male counterparts to be noticed. Therefore, I had to up my game; I had to learn to do things excellently, I had to learn something new every single day that would distinguish me. It wasn’t an easy journey though, but all the same that tenacity has sustained me through the corporate ladder all the way to the top.
Looking at your sterling record in the Oil and Gas sector, have you considered running for a political office in Nigeria?
Absolutely, it is something that I am passionate about and considering, because I believe that governance is critical to our development, and I believe that more women at the helm of affairs in Nigeria will do excellently well in reshaping our nations trajectory. However, there is a need to walk away from the current political structure. An open, transparent and inclusive system to shape politics in Nigeria would be more appealing.
There is a general belief that women don’t support women. How true is that?
I do not completely agree with that. Why it seems glaring that women don’t support women is that our numbers in those places of support are smaller, so the impact is felt more. I believe men also go through the same issues of no support but their aggregate numbers in these spaces are much more. Therefore the conversation we should be having is how to raise more women leaders. We don’t have 30% of women in C-Suite or leadership, let us have that first before we can say women don’t support women.”
What is the one piece of advice that you got when you started your career that stood out for you?
From my Boss Yomi AWOBOKUN at Oando Plc., he told me “You are not rewarded for effort, you are only rewarded when you achieve.”
Which of your achievements are you most proud of?
My Children.