"DAUGHTERS OF DEFIANCE" Margaret Ekpo

Margaret Ekpo is a woman that did not arrive in history as a rebel. She arrived as a woman paying attention. And once she understood what she was seeing, she chose not to look away. She was born in 1914 in Creek Town, in present-day Cross River State, at a time when Nigeria was still firmly under colonial rule and the idea of women occupying public or political space was limited, often dismissed. Her early life did not immediately point toward activism. Like many women of her time, her path seemed to align with what was expected—education, marriage, a life that moved within the accepted boundaries of society. But expectations have a way of being reshaped by experience. Her political awakening did not begin with her own voice, it began with someone else’s. Her husband, a medical doctor, became involved in discussions and complaints about colonial policies that affected Nigerian professionals. When he was denied a platform to express these grievances, it was Margaret who stepped forward, speaking on his behalf. It could have been a one-time act, a simple intervention. But something shifted in that moment. Because once you step into a space and realize you can speak and be heard—it becomes harder to return to silence. What began as support gradually became conviction. She started attending political meetings, not as an observer, but as a participant. She listened, she learned, and more importantly, she noticed what was missing. The conversations about Nigeria’s future were happening, but women especially those outside elite circles were largely absent from them. And absence, when recognized, can become a call to action. Margaret Ekpo did not accept that women should remain on the margins of decisions that affected their lives. She began to organize, to mobilize, to bring women—particularly market women into political consciousness. Like many systems of power, colonial governance thrived on exclusion. And like many effective disruptors, she understood that inclusion was not something that would be offered freely. It had to be created. She joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), aligning herself with the broader nationalist movement pushing for independence. But even within that space, she carved out something distinct. Her focus was not just on freedom from colonial rule, but on ensuring that women were part of what that freedom would look like. She travelled, she spoke, she gathered women in numbers that could not be ignored. She encouraged them to see themselves not just as participants in society, but as stakeholders in its direction. Voting rights, representation, political awareness—these were not abstract ideas to her. They were necessary steps toward a more complete form of independence. And slowly, the impact became visible. Women who had once been excluded began to register, to vote, to engage. Their presence shifted the political landscape, not dramatically at first, but steadily enough to matter. Margaret Ekpo herself went on to hold political office, becoming a member of the Eastern Regional House of Assembly—one of the few women to do so at the time. But change, especially the kind that challenges both colonial authority and cultural expectations, does not come without resistance. Her activism placed her in spaces that were not always welcoming. Politics was, and largely still is, a difficult terrain—more so for women navigating systems that were not designed with them in mind. There were limitations, criticisms, and the constant pressure of proving that her presence was not an exception, but a necessity. Beyond that, Nigeria itself was changing. The transition from colonial rule to independence, and later the instability that followed, created an environment where progress was not always linear. Gains could be slowed, challenged, or redirected entirely. Yet, she remained.There is a kind of endurance required to work within systems while also trying to change them. It is less visible than open resistance, but no less demanding. It requires patience, strategy, and the willingness to continue even when results are gradual. Margaret Ekpo’s legacy is not defined by a single moment of defiance, but by sustained engagement. She helped shape a political culture where women’s participation became harder to dismiss. She expanded the idea of who could lead, who could speak, and who could influence the direction of a nation still defining itself. Today, her impact lives in ways that feel almost natural—women voting, organizing, holding office, contributing to national conversations. But none of these realities were guaranteed. They were built, step by step, by women who refused to remain on the outside. She did not force her way into history with noise.She entered it with presence—steady, deliberate and stayed long enough to change what presence could mean.

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