IT is only in recent times that a few Nigerians are aware of the valiant acts of women across the then Eastern region of Nigeria in the annals of history of their country. One of such has been what is popularly referred to as the Aba Women Riots of 1929. The riots acted as early checks to the excesses of the British colonial government. Many of the women who participated in the struggle for the emancipation of their people paid the supreme price. It is common historical knowledge that no fewer than 59 of the women fell to the bullets of the colonial overlords at the water front, in front of the Consulate House in Akot Abasi; then called Opobo.
It has been over 80 years of distorted history as most people have come to believe that the riots started and mainly took place at Nchara which shares boundaries with the Ngwa people of Abia State on its North-West and the Anangs of Akwa Ibom State, on its Southern part. But it actually took place at Ikot Abasi. Ikot Abasi, then a part of Opobo, was actively involved in the famous women riot of 1929 over taxation and in protest against colonial rule which culminated into the Aba Women riot of 1929. Ikot Abasi Local Government secretariat was then the administrative headquarters of the British colonial government. It was there that 23 of the valiant women fell. It was alleged that the protest was as a result of the new tax regime introduced by colonial officials in the then Eastern Nigeria.
Women protesting against their inclusion in the head tax mobilised themselves from all parts of the region, some coming in canoes, singing and chanting solidarity songs. On landing at the colonial administrative office, they started chanting war songs. To quell the riot, the British officials asked the colonial police to open fire on the singing unarmed women which led to the death of scores of them. To commemorate the bravery of these women who stood their ground and died for a just cause, first, a statue was erected by the state government, in front of the Ikot Abasi Local Government secretariat which was then the administrative headquarters of the British colonial government. On December 16 of every year, all Akwa Ibom women gather at the spot to commemorate the selfless sacrifice of these women.
A Hall of Fame monument was also built in remembrance of the brave women who were killed in the riot at the consular beach, Egwang Opobo, now Ikot Abasi. The commemorative marble plaque inside the building contains names of 23 women that died at Ikot Abasi; three that died at Etim Ekpo and another 33 at Abak. Also listed alongside their names are their towns of origin, which, on close examination, shows that they came from all over the former Eastern Region and Niger Delta areas. Just last weekend, the Senator representing Eket Senatorial district, Senator Helen Esuene, as part of her constituency project, built and donated an art gallery/event centre along the Consulate Road in Akot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, tagged; ‘The Women War Memorial’ to keep the memory of the women alive. Presenting the well equipped art building to the women of Ikot Abasi, Esuene reasoned that though the brutal and untimely death of the women would forever be mourned, their courage would also be forever saluted by generations yet unborn.
According to her, plans are afoot to establish a finishing school for young female gradates in the area to inculcate some core values that are fast fading away. The art gallery, which will also serve as revenue generating avenue for the council area, was primarily to immortalise the heroines and to draw the attention of the Federal Government to where the historical event actually took place. The event, which had Senator David Mark, President of the Senate of Federal Republic as the Special Guest of Honour, also witnessed the commissioning of food processing centre on Main School road, Eket. The centre, which will be managed by RIVERA Multipurpose Cooperative Society, is well equipped for the processing of local food items such as oil palm, cassava, corn in commercial quantities as well as for export.
The women of the two federal constituencies, who are the direct beneficiaries of the projects, expressed appreciation for the kind gesture of the Senator, saying that she had given a definite face to the history of the women’s riot which claimed the life of a famous woman in the region, the mother of the late Justice Udo Udoma. Commissioning the projects, Senator David Mark, who was represented at the occasion by the former Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Nsima Ekere, said the project was a great contribution to the economy of the state and the country at large. He reasoned that if such projects were replicated in other areas of the country, the conspiracy to bring down the price of crude oil would be irrelevant as enough food would be produced and jobs created. The Aba Women’s Riot started in November 1929, when thousands of women from the Bende District of Nigeria, the nearby Umuahia and other places in the then Eastern Nigeria travelled to Oloko to protest against the Warrant Chiefs, whom they accused of restricting the role of women in the government. It was organised and led by the rural women of Owerri and Calabar provinces. During the events, many Warrant Chiefs were forced to resign and 16 Native Courts were attacked, most of which were destroyed.’
http://www.tribune.com.ng/niger-delta/item/31658-how-senator-corrected-aba-women-riot-history/31658-how-senator-corrected-aba-women-riot-history
