By Ahmed Usman Jalingo
Amabel Eugene from Gembu, Sardauna local government includes Taraba State. A 29-year-old, Amabel is a 400-level student of the History and Diplomatic Studies department of Taraba State University, TSU Jalingo.
“Tiling was not actually in my choices of career Growing up, I had three things in mind. I wanted to either be a journalist, a military personnel, or a civil engineer. Those were the things I’ve always aspired to become when I grew up.” Said Amabel
Her role is crucial in the construction industry. Her work include cutting and installing tiles on floors, walls, and other surfaces and interlocking. She is also responsible for ensuring that the tiles are cut and installed to precise specifications and that they meet quality standards. like any other tiller, especially her male counterparts, she use a variety of tools and equipment, such as tile cutters, trowel, plum, range, hammers, chisels, and adhesives to perform her job.
Tiling wasn’t her first attempt in her effort to become self reliant, she tried to be a tailor. “I spent over two years learning tailoring but I didn’t have much interest in it. I was so reluctant about it. But this one (tiling) captured my mind. So I went straight into it and I do it with passion.”
HOW IT STARTED
Coming to how I got into tiling work, early 2016 I was hawking. I finished secondary school in 2012 and I wasn’t able to further my studies due to some challenges. So I went into petty trading and hawking to assist my mother.
I was selling moi moi in Gembu with a friend of mine whom we do hawked together, one faithful day, when I got to a construction site. The site belonged to late Maman Taraba, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan (may her soul rest in peace).
They were on tiling level and that was my first time of seeing the process of tiling. The workers were not Nigerians. They were Togolese.
