Nigeria's NSE Gets First Female President in Margaret Oguntala

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) elected Margaret Oguntala as its first female president, breaking a 65-year tradition. The investiture ceremony in Abuja was attended by notable personalities including as Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, and Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Akpabio, in his speech titled "Rebirthing the Nigeria Society of Engineers for the Growth, Empowerment, and Advancement of Engineering," lauded Margaret’s nomination as a watershed moment for women equality in the country. He underlined how her presidency broke the glass ceiling for women in engineering.

The Senate President emphasized the need of improving engineering education and training, and urged the NSE to work with educational institutions, industry leaders, and professional organizations. Akpabio also advocated for engineers' empowerment, particularly among the younger generation, as well as diversity and inclusiveness within the profession.

In her inaugural presentation, Margaret committed to pursue required professional development, ongoing learning, and the upskilling of NSE employees. She pushed for innovation, technical improvement, and funding for research and development. Margaret also underlined the need of vocational science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (VSTEM) education for young people, with the goal of developing a generation of STEM leaders.

The newly elected president emphasized the need of engineers collaborating with communities, addressing infrastructure bottlenecks, and promoting sustainable growth. She promised to develop measures to provide equitable benefit packages for engineers and to promote the usage of Nigerian-made goods and services.

The outgoing President of the NSE, Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, congratulated Margaret on becoming the first female president and acknowledged her important contribution in his tenure's accomplishments. Margaret’s presidency is viewed as an important step toward increasing gender inclusiveness and excellence in engineering in Nigeria.