As her plane touched down in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday, February 2, 1959, there was only one thing on the mind of the celebrated Nigerian politician and activist, Margaret Ekpo: the upcoming federal elections in December and how she could further her fight for women’s rights on the back of them.
A frequent traveller, Ekpo had just completed a trip to the United States. Now returning to her base in Aba, eastern Nigeria, she was about to deliver another speech from her political armoury.
Regarded as a female “pillar” of the political party the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), in eastern Nigeria, Ekpo was met by a large crowd of women who came to welcome her back from her trip.