Engr. Dr. Taiwo Hassan Olusola Elegba FNSE, FNIStructE; CEng; FIStructE
23rd President of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers
Introduction
Engr Dr Taiwo Hassan Olusola Elegba, FNIStructE, FNSE, CEng FIStructE, is a distinguished engineer whose career stands as a testament to technical excellence, leadership, and an enduring commitment to the advancement of engineering and capacity building in Nigeria.
Early Life and Education
Born in Lagos, Engr Dr Taiwo Elegba spent his formative years there. He attended St Paul's Breadfruit School for his primary education and Jibril Martin Ahmadiyya Grammar School for his secondary schooling; both in Lagos. For his Higher School Certificate (HSC), he studied at Comprehensive High School Aiyetoro before pursuing further studies abroad.
He obtained his Master's degree with a specialization in Steel Structures from Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering, Moscow, USSR. Subsequently, driven by a desire to understand and improve knowledge and learning in engineering organisations, he earned a doctorate from the University of Liverpool, UK, focusing his research on Organisational Learning in Engineering Design, a pursuit that speaks to something characteristic of his career as a whole
- bridging practice with academy for maximum understanding and impact leading to building of capacities and capabilities.
Professional Career
Engr Dr Elegba's extensive career at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) began with roles as a civil/structural engineer and project engineer on projects such as petrochemical plants, refineries, pipelines, and tank farms. He later progressed to become the lead structural engineer and manager of multi-disciplinary teams, overseeing major complex and large-scale offshore projects including fixed platforms, FPSO and other floating
structures, and subsea systems. He played a key role in pioneering the acquisition of engineering design capacity within Nigeria's oil and gas offshore sector.
At NNPC's National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO), he was involved in managing and designing several high-profile projects both onshore and offshore. He served as the project manager of the Nigerian/NETCO scope of the following multi-million dollars projects: EGINA FPSO Topsides FEED; AGBAMI FPSO Topsides Detailed Engineering Design; AMENAM/KPONO Offshore Platforms Flare Towers and Bridges; BONGA Northwest Subsea
Systems FEED for SNEPCO, amongst others.
Perhaps as importantly, he was a pioneer in the effort to build indigenous all round engineering capability in the Nigerian oil and gas industry - work that has had a lasting impact far beyond any single project. At the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) where he was seconded to from NETCO, he was in charge of the Capacity Building Division which was directly responsible for the development of local capacities and
capabilities in the nation's oil and gas industry. He worked with other colleagues to achieve the success story that NCDMB enjoys today. His team ensured: the education, training and employment of Nigerian professionals; the promotion of indigenous ownership of equipment; conducting analyses and implementing necessary interventions; and establishing relevant industry guidelines in accordance with the Nigerian Local Content Law. It was nation-
building work, carried out with the rigour and purpose that had defined his engineering career from the outset.
He voluntarily retired from the service of NNPC in the year 2012.
Current Endeavours
Presently, Engr Dr Elegba leads ELEGBATA Nig. Ltd, an engineering consultancy firm that provides services in design, project design peer review and Nigerian Content advisory to companies both within and outside the oil and gas industry. He is actively involved in developing materials for capacity building, fostering individual and organizational learning and development of the next generation of engineers.
Services to the Engineering Profession
Within the Nigerian engineering profession Dr Elegba has provided numerous services. He was the pioneer Chairman of the Victoria Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSEVI). He served on the Board of Fellows of NSE. And of course, did serve on various committees of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers. He was a member of the 7th Governing Council of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos.
Professional Affiliations
Engr Dr Taiwo Elegba is a COREN-registered engineer, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers, a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council, UK and Fellow of The Institution of Structural Engineers.