“Voice of the Voiceless”: How Evangelist Mary Chijioke is Championing Women’s Rights in the Niger Delta
“Voice of the Voiceless”: How Evangelist Mary Chijioke is Championing Women’s Rights in the Niger Delta
By Matthew Eloyi
In the bustling communities of the Niger Delta, where oil wealth sits side by side with poverty, and where women often remain on the margins of decision-making, one woman has made it her mission to stand as a voice for the voiceless. Evangelist (Mrs) Mary Chijioke, founder and president of the Niger Delta Women Empowerment Forum, is not just a preacher of the gospel but also a passionate advocate for women, grassroots empowerment, and justice.
A mother of five, with roots in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, Chijioke is also the Director of Women Affairs at the International Human Rights Protection Services (Rivers State chapter), and recently appointed a liaison officer for the South-South zone. But perhaps the title she cherishes most is “voice of the voiceless women.”
In an exclusive interview with OurNigeria News Magazine, she said her inspiration to found the Niger Delta Women Empowerment Forum was born out of years of grassroots activism. As the former South-South Market Women Leader, Chijioke moved across different states, listening to the struggles of women.
“What inspired me,” she explained, “is when I moved from one state to another and discovered that many women in the Niger Delta are not carried along. Some of them are suffering because of ignorance and lack of support. They need someone to be their voice.”
Her work soon extended beyond markets into the very walls of prisons. As an evangelist, Chijioke regularly visited correctional facilities to minister to inmates. What she found shocked her: women languishing in prison on awaiting trial lists for up to 10 or even 15 years, often for minor offences that should have attracted no more than two or three years.
“I went to Port Harcourt correctional centre and saw more than twenty women awaiting trial. Some of them had lost their husbands. Some were abandoned. That is when I decided I could no longer be silent,” she recalled.
At the top of her agenda is ensuring that women are not left behind — politically, socially, or economically. She believes in building a united platform where women can “speak with one voice” and demand better governance.
Her goals are simple yet profound: “Number one, I want empowerment to go down to the grassroots. Number two, I want women in correctional centres who have been awaiting trial for years to be given justice. Mercy must prevail in their cases,” she said.
Over the years, Chijioke’s advocacy has yielded results. Through her NGO, she has secured empowerment programmes from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with special appreciation to its Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, who has supported her initiatives.
She has also succeeded in freeing some young men and women from prison, regularly distributes palliatives to inmates, and has installed televisions in the female section of the Port Harcourt correctional centre to ensure the women there have access to spiritual and educational programmes. Plans are underway to donate a generator to address persistent power cuts in the facility.
Beyond prisons, she has continued to mobilise grassroots women for self-reliance, ensuring that empowerment reaches not just the elite but those selling in local markets or struggling in rural communities.
Despite these strides, Chijioke is deeply concerned about the systemic barriers women face in the Niger Delta. She identifies two major issues: leaders, particularly men, not carrying women along, and the failure of empowerment to reach the grassroots.
“Some of our leaders only focus on national and state levels, neglecting local governments and wards. Women are left behind, suffering,” she lamented.
She insists that real change begins at the grassroots: “In politics, you don’t start from the national. You must start from your ward, your local government, then state. If women are not carried along there, they can never rise.”
To overcome these challenges, Chijioke hopes to collaborate with the Ministry of Women Affairs, the National Council for Women Societies, and philanthropists who share her vision. She describes herself as “ready to work with anyone committed to good governance.”
She is also passionate about voter education. Even while in Abuja, she mobilises women leaders across nine states to ensure they participate in voter registration and card transfers.
On the issue of oil pollution and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, Chijioke was cautious but noted that she is already engaging community leaders and traditional rulers. Plans, she said, are underway for consultations with chiefs and elders on how women can add their voices to addressing the crisis.
On government policies, Chijioke gives credit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the Ministry of Women Affairs, noting that while progress is being made, more needs to be done. “They are trying, but they should do more, especially in ensuring empowerment reaches grassroots women,” she emphasised.
She also expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s security situation. As a human rights activist, she particularly urged the Inspector General of Police to address misconduct within the force: “Some police officers in positions are not doing well. Government must take this seriously.”
Although she stepped down as South-South Market Women Leader after the Jonathan administration, Chijioke says 70% of market women in the region are still loyal to her platform. She rejected calls to return to the old role, citing excessive politicisation, but through her forum, she continues to provide the support they once received.
To women, she offers a message of unity and discipline: “They should work in unity, speak in one voice, obey the law of the land, and talk to their children.”
She is particularly concerned about young people being used by politicians for violence. “Mothers must tell their children that after using them, politicians will dump them. Their own children will never be used for such acts. Our children must not destroy their future,” she advises.
At the heart of all her work lies faith. Her final piece of advice to leaders at all levels is simple yet profound: “Put the fear of God forward in any position you are. If you put the fear of God first, you will do the right thing.
Evangelist Mary Chijioke embodies the resilience of the Niger Delta woman — deeply rooted in faith, but unafraid to confront injustice. From correctional centres to marketplaces, from oil-polluted communities to the corridors of government, her voice continues to rise above silence.
As she builds the Niger Delta Women Empowerment Forum into a national platform, her vision is clear: no woman, no matter how poor or marginalised, should ever be voiceless again.
