Margaret Bassey, an Akwa Ibom State indigene, is a female mechanic who specializes in fixing broken-down vehicles in Abuja. Her story is the classic example of what a man can do, and a woman can do even better. The young lady is the last child among three girls in her family.
Margaret didn’t set out to become a mechanic; she took up the job after her uncle enrolled her in the Nigeria Opportunity Industrialization Company in Lagos as a means to help her out of her financial situation.
After spending a year and six months of rigorous training in Lagos, she arrived in Abuja with dreams of making it in the male-dominated occupation. Margaret got a job at a mechanic shop at Lokogoma, around Airport Road, with a ₦30,000 monthly salary.
The journey to being a professional mechanic hasn’t been a walk in the park for Margaret, as she has faced a lot of discrimination whenever she has introduced herself as a mechanic. However, some people, especially the men, took her seriously and supported her because of her competence.
Margaret spoke to Okwe Obi of The Sun newspaper and recalled how her boss gave her a rather funny test.
She said: