DOZ Inspirational Biography
MARGARET
EKPO
Mercy James
Margaret was a Nigerian woman who became
famous for being a Nigerian woman right activist
and a social mobilizer who made waves in the
political sector of the country as the pioneering
female politician in the country’s first republic and
also led members of a class of traditional Nigerian
women activists who rallied women above notions
of ethnic solidarity.
Margaret was born to the family of Okoroafor
Obiasulor in Creek Town Cross River State. She
had everything that could make her successful
and help her dreams become a reality until after
obtaining a standard six school leaving certificate
in 1934. The same year that brought joy to her also
brought tragedy that gave her life a new direction.
Her father died, and her goal of furthering her
education in the teacher’s training seemed to
become a fantasy that may never come close to
reality.
The situation was discouraging and enough to
make her quit, but she refused to wallow in self-
pity. Instead, she decided to take life from a lower
angle by blessing lives before she could rise to
her desires once again. She started working as
a teacher in elementary school. She was helping
children to grow in their academics while earning
some money. Hope came back alive when she
found love and married John Udo Ekpo in 1938.
A new life began, and she had the opportunity of
getting further education at Dublin Institute of
Technology, Dublin, Ireland. The years of delay
never discouraged from being who she was meant
to be. She bagged a Domestic Science degree and
returned to Nigeria her country to bless more lives
by establishing a domestic science and sewing
institute in the famous Aba Nigeria.
Politics was never something she started
intentionally. The opportunity came through her
husband, who was a civil servant with little time
to spare to participate in political meetings. He
knew he had married an intelligent wife and so
he allowed her to attend meetings on his behalf.
Her first political ideas and association were in
1945, but her most treasured moment was when
she participated in a political rally where she was
the only woman amongst men such as Nnamdi
Azikiwe, and Herbert Macaulay, who decided to do
something about cultural and racial discrimination
in administrative promotions in the country.
Margaret was inspired to fight for the economic
rights of women, and she started by organizing an
association to bring unity to market women who
participated in her quest to give women a chance
to become more relevant than being a kitchen
genius.
Margaret fought for women’s rights along with
famous women such as Funmilayo Ransome-
Kuti. They protested the killings at Enugu coal
mine before she became a member of the Eastern
Regional House of Assembly in 1961. Power could
have corrupted her, but she used her position to
win a better ground for women before dying on
the 21st day of September 2006.
In honor of her bravery, the international
airport in Calabar was renamed Margaret Ekpo
International Airport. She was born a black
woman like numerous other women, but she rose
beyond circumstances to give women a chance
to have a better image. You can rise higher than
your situations if you stop looking down on
yourself. The world is yours to take if you try.
11
DOZ Magazine | February 2020
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W
hile nation and race have deprived many
women of greatness, others produced
something amazing out of what is less
celebrated. Margaret Ekpo belonged to the latter
category, and for this reason, her name has made
it to the history books as a celebrity that will
never die because her name shall be passed down
through generations.