Issah Fatimoh Abiola, Nigeria’s pioneering female train driver employed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), was honored with the Friendship Envoy Award during the 2nd Orchid Awards Ceremony in Beijing on July 10.
Notably, she became the first one from a Chinese central state-owned enterprise to achieve this esteemed recognition.
Issah Fatimoh Abiola (third left) receives the award at the ceremony. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Hosted by the China International Communication Group, this year’s Orchid Awards recognized 1 Lifetime Honorary Award winner, 3 Outstanding Achievement Award winners, and 6 Friendship Envoy Award recipients.
The Friendship Envoy Award honors foreign individuals or institutions that have made innovative and unique contributions to promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding between China and other countries.
Selected from nearly 300 nominations across about 80 countries, Issah has grown alongside her Chinese colleagues for over 17 years. In 2008, at age 22, she joined CCECC Nigeria as an assistant clerk.
When the Abuja Light Rail project began track-laying in 2013, Issah seized the opportunity to join a driver training program — becoming the only female trainee in the cohort. After eight months of rigorous training, she passed all assessments. On July 12, 2018, she made history as the first woman to drive a passenger train in Nigeria.
Issah Fatimoh Abiola is the first woman to drive a passenger train in Nigeria. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Beyond her role as a driver, Issah also serves as a cultural bridge between China and Nigeria. While studying in Xi’an, she joined a cultural exchange association where she introduced Hausa language and traditional Nigerian clothing to Chinese students and taught Chinese characters to children at a China-Nigeria friendship school. Her efforts earned praise from the Nigerian president.
Today, an increasing number of young Nigerian women are following in her footsteps, becoming train drivers and carrying forward the spirit of determination and dignity that Issah represents.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
