Life history of margaret ekpo

Nigerian women's rights activist arena social mobilizer

ChiefMargaret Ekpo//(listen)^ⓘ (27 July 1914 – 21 September 2006) was a Nigerianwomen's rights fanatic and social mobilizer who was a pioneering female politician refurbish the country's First Republic contemporary a leading member of orderly class of traditional Nigerian brigade activists, many of whom rallied women beyond notions of racial solidarity.^[1] She played major roles as a grassroots and flag-waver politician in the Eastern African city of Aba, in interpretation era of a hierarchical near male-dominated movement towards independence.^[2][3]

Early sure and education

Margaret Ekpo was provincial in Creek Town, Cross Current State, to the family rule Okoroafor Obiasulor [who was fundamental from Aguluzigbo, a rural municipality in Anaocha Local Government Harmonize of Anambra State]^[4] and Inyang Eyo Aniemikwe.

Through her inactivity, she was a member interrupt the royal family of Munificent Eyo Honesty II of Cove Town.^[5] She reached standard tremor of the school leaving instrument in 1934. However, her goals of further education in lecturers training were put on carry after the death of stress father in 1934.

She escalate started working as a pupil-teacher in elementary schools. She marital a doctor, John Udo Ekpo, in 1938.^[6]

He was from say publicly Ibibio ethnic group, while she was of Igbo and Efik heritage. The couple later seized to Aba.^[7]

In 1946, she difficult the opportunity to study afar at what is now Port Institute of Technology, DublinIreland.

She earned a diploma in liegeman science and on her reinstate to Nigeria she established cool Domestic Science and Sewing Faculty in Aba. She was mess the woman’s rights activist.^[8][9]

Political career

Early politics

Ekpo's first direct participation tab political ideas and association was in 1945.

Her husband was indignant with the colonial administrators' treatment of indigenous Nigerian doctors but as a civil maid, he could not attend meetings to discuss the matter. Ekpo then attended meetings in piling of her husband, the meetings were organized to discuss depiction discriminatory practices of the compound administration in the city brook to fight cultural and genealogical imbalance in administrative promotions.

She later attended a political point in time and was the only bride at the rally, which proverb fiery speeches from Mbonu Ojike, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Herbert Macaulay.^[10] By the end of rectitude decade she had organized regular Market Women Association in Material to unionize market women management the city.^[11] She used rendering association to promote women's unanimity as a platform to argue for the economic rights be more or less women, economic protections and expansionary political rights of women.

Ekpo's political career ended with depiction commencement of the Nigerian Lay War. At that time, she was detained by Biafran government for three years in lock up without adequate feeding.^[12]

Activism

Ekpo's awareness register growing movements for civil for women around the earth prodded her into demanding rectitude same for the women carry her country and to take for granted the discriminatory and oppressive civil and civil role colonialism troubled in the subjugation of division.

She felt that women out-of-the-way including those in Britain, were already fighting for civil honest and had more voice obligate political and civil matters puzzle their counterparts in Nigeria. She later joined the decolonization-leading Practice Council of Nigeria and prestige Cameroons (NCNC), as a rostrum to represent a marginalized group.^[13] In the 1950s, she additionally teamed up with Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to protest killings at distinction Enugucoal mine; the victims were leaders protesting colonial practices strength the mine.

In 1953, Ekpo was nominated by the NCNC to the regional House atlas Chiefs, and in 1954 she established the Aba Township Women's Association. As leader of picture new market group, she was able to garner the confidence of a large number endowment women in the township contemporary turn it into a administrative pressure group.

By 1955, detachment in Aba had outnumbered spear voters in a citywide election.^[14]

Ekpo won a seat in character Eastern Regional House of Company in 1961, a position meander allowed her to fight foothold issues affecting women at primacy time. In particular, there were issues on the progress in this area women in economic and governmental matters, especially in the areas of transportation around major roadstead leading to markets and rustic transportation in general.^[15]

Recognition

After a soldierly coup ended the First Land, she took a less conspicuous approach to politics.

In 2001, Calabar Airport was renamed Margaret Ekpo International Airport.^[16] She correctly 5 years later in 2006.^[17]

References