What is today known as ‘women liberation’ or ‘inclusivity for women’ has its inception with the late Mama Margaret Ekpo in the 40s. She and a few of her contemporaries set the stage for the freedom the womenfolk enjoy in the present day Nigeria. SUNNY IDACHABA writes on this woman whose memories are evergreen.
Margaret Ekpo, a foremost female activist who died in 2006, was indeed one of the leading figures in Nigeria’s struggle for independence and a pioneering advocate for women’s rights and empowerment. Born in the year the historical amalgamation of Nigeria took place (1914), her activism is the oldest in the history of Nigeria.
Whatever is known as feminist right in modern Nigeria was started by her as she co-founded the Nigerian Women’s Union to promote women’s education, healthcare, and economic empowerment way back then. She became one of the first women to be elected into the House of Representatives in 1960 where she worked tirelessly to promote girls’ education by challenging traditional norms that limited women’s access to education.
Aside from all these, she worked to preserve and promote Nigerian culture, particularly the traditions and customs of Efik people, dedicated to community development by supporting various initiatives to improve marginalised communities especially in the city of Aba, under a hierarchical and male-dominated movement towards independence.
Until today, her remarkable legacies have continued to inspire women and communities across the country; for instance, she sets an early leadership leading role as president, Women Wing of National Council of Nigeria and Cameroun (NCNC), a leading political party that heralded the First Republic. From 1961-1965, she was a member of the Eastern Regional House of Assembly.
However, her first direct participation in activism and political association was in 1945. As at that time, her husband, John Udo Ekpo, a practising medical doctor in Aba became indignant with the colonial administrators’ treatment of indigenous (Nigerian) doctors but could not participate in any form of protest against it, being a civil servant. His wife (Margaret) however attended meetings on his behalf organised to discuss the discriminatory practices of the colonial administration and fight cultural/racial imbalances in promotions.
In the 1950s, Margaret teamed up with Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to protest killings at a British-owned coal mine in Enugu whose victims were leaders who were protesting against colonial practices at the mine. She later attended a political rally and was the only woman at the rally which saw fiery speeches from others like Mbonu Ejike, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Herbert Macaulay.
Not too long after, she organised a Market Women Association in Aba to unionize the women and used the association to promote their solidarity as a platform to fight for their economic rights, protection and their political rights. All of those however ended with the commencement of the civil war. As a result of her activism, she was detained by Biafran authorities for three years in prison without adequate feeding. Following the military coup that ended the First Republic, she took a less prominent approach to politics.
Writing about this woman is Tayo Agunbiade, a columnist. According to him, the woman’s political energy actually began following the racial discrimination the people suffered in the hands of white colonialists.
He noted, “Ekpo’s political awakening was sudden. At the height of nationalist agitation for independence from British colonial rule, disaffected Nigerians began convening community meetings to discuss racial discrimination in the colonial civil service. Ekpo participated on behalf of her husband who could not attend because of his work as a civil servant.
“As with other departments in the colonial service, medical service departments discriminated against Nigerians in terms of promotions, working conditions and wages. For example, government hospitals were built for the colonial officers and medical services were only accessible by Europeans and, later on, their Nigerian employees. However, Nigerians were not allowed to treat Europeans.
“Ekpo’s growing awareness about racial discrimination and the existing weight of oppressive colonial taxation further radicalised her. During her career, she joined ranks with the prominent feminist, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Women’s Union (NWU). Together, they travelled to different provinces to mobilise women to join the NWU and be a part of Nigeria’s decolonisation journey.”
According to Agunbiade, Ekpo mobilised women in Aba and its neighbouring towns by touring and speaking about the importance of women forming associations as platforms to resist discriminatory colonial policies and urged them to join the ongoing nationalist agitation for Nigeria’s independence from Britain. In 1954, she formed the Aba Township Women’s Association (ATWA).
He wrote further that, “In a book, ‘Igbo Women and Economic Transformation in South Eastern Nigeria 1900-1960’, Gloria Chuku describes how other associations similar to ATWA sprang up all over the Eastern Region as women were mobilised to protect their economic and political interests.
“To encourage women to join ATWA, Ekpo devised a particularly clever plan. This was just as the world was emerging from the end of the Second World War and still reeling from shortages of essential commodities like salt.
“Ekpo purchased all the bags of salt in Aba Market and controlled its sales to members of ATWA. The whole idea was that any woman who wanted to purchase salt had to first register with the association with the aim of mobilising them under one major socio-political body towards fighting the colonial administration.”
In January 1959, she was appointed as a special member in the Eastern House of Chiefs, a particularly conservative/ male-dominated institution. It was just herself and another colleague by the name, Janet Mokelu.
At her inaugural speech in the Eastern House of Chiefs, she said, “If you look round the Northern House of Chiefs and the Western House of Chiefs, you would see that these two Houses have no women representation. I am assuring you that the women of the Eastern Region, with two of us here representing their interests, would be solidly behind you and the government of the Eastern Region.
“I seize the opportunity to extend our gratitude to our ex-premier who has not forgotten the women. We thank you all and we hope the chiefs here would not listen to all the gossip of the opposition and evil-minded people who would try to buy off your minds and say, ‘Oh, how can you sit in the House of Chiefs with women?’ I am assuring you that we would always cooperate with you. We would not want to take your feathers or your crowns or your caps, but would only cooperate with you.”
While paying tributes to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, leader of NCNC, she said, “It is Azikiwe’s belief that whatever he is doing, wherever he is, he would always remember that human beings come from the womb of women and that without women in any part of the world, things would not be smooth-sailing. He had thought it fit to place two women in this House of Chiefs to represent the interest of other women; so, our gratitude goes to him.”
The importance of equal access to education was also a major issue for her and she emphasised this fact during a debate in 1960.
“Mr. President, I would like the minister of education to know that we are now in independent Nigeria and that time has gone when they placed boys before girls.
“If you look around today, there is a woman Magistrate here doing very well. If the parents did not educate her well, she could not have been doing very well. So I am asking that when scholarships are to be distributed, they must be distributed equally to boys and girls.”
Margaret Ekpo was born in Creek Town, Cross River state, to the family of Okoroafor Obiasulor, her father from Anambra state and Inyang Eyo Aniemewue, her mother from Cross River. However, tragedy struck with the death of her father in 1934; therefore, her goals of further education in teachers training school was put on hold, so she then started working as a pupil teacher in elementary schools. She later married John Udo Ekpo, a medical doctor in 1938. He was from the Ibibio ethnic group in Akwa Ibom state, while she was of Igbo and Efik heritage. That was why she moved with her husband to Aba where she mobilised women towards her activism career.
Well-known for her uncompromising language and speech, she did not disappoint her audience whenever she spoke at any gathering. For her unwavering pioneering role of women liberation in Nigeria, she remains an unforgettable heroine of our time.