# Mary Ekpere-Eta

Mary Ekpere-Eta is a Nigerian barrister and activist. She is Director General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) in Abuja. Mary Eta is a lawyer, farmer and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. In 2012 she made a bid to become Governor of Cross River State. She is a representative of South-South women on the board of trustees of the All Progressives Congress (APC). President Buhari appointed Ekpere-Eta as Director General of NCWD in April 2017.

## Quotes

* I joined the race for the sole purpose of pulling more of my people out of poverty as you already know, youth and women empowerment is critical to achieving this. Also critical to reducing the level of poverty among our people will be my attracting infrastructural projects in the education and health sectors as well as basic infrastructure and even in the area of rural electrification.
** Mary talked about her plans for women Authority
* Nigeria is ripe for a female president. Nigerian women are making indelible footprints everywhere; a recent example is the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO. I am sure as we move closer to 2023, interested women will join the race.
** Mary believe Nigeria needs female President Vanguard
* I joined the race for the sole purpose of pulling more of my people out of poverty. As you already know, youth and women empowerment is critical to achieving this. Also critical to reducing the level of poverty among our people will be my attracting infrastructural projects in the education and health sectors, as well as basic infrastructure and even in the area of rural electrification.
** Mary Ekpere-Eta state her aims after election Sun News
* we cannot do without ICT in this dispensation, so, that is why we adopted this convention of training women with disability since Dec. 13, 2006, seeing the world has gone digital.
** Mary spoke about ICT Vanguard
* I have confidence that I will win, that I will get justice, that is why I came to court and as a lawyer, I know how the system works, I am not seeing any foul play bearing in mind the administrative bottlenecks. I know I will get justice.
** Mary believed in herself before election Sun News
* It has been very rewarding and fulfilling in the sense that as a woman myself and one who has always been at the forefront of ensuring the welfare of women, it was not a new terrain for me to listen and proffer solutions to the myriad of issues bedevilling Nigerian women, using the instruments of government. Looking back, I would say we were able to make remarkable progress and I am satisfied with what the government has been able to achieve under my watch.
** Mary talked about government Sun News
* We have empowered many women in Cross River. We are going to the North East then the other geo-political zones with our empowerment programmes. We will train the women on poultry, fishing, tailoring, soap-making, among other vocations.
** Mary talked about her achievement Supreme Magazine
* Through hard work, dedication and perseverance Nigerian women have achieved milestones, broken barriers and charted new paths in the last 25 years. We have so much to present to the world, as stakeholders take stock of the progress made by women after the famous conference. I congratulate Nigerian women on this special day and state my confidence that even with so much we have achieved, the best days of Nigerian women are still ahead.
** Mary expressed her enthusiasm about women in leadership frontline News
* The workshop is to re-position women to take advantage of the numerous generous financial policies of the present administration, in its next bid and agenda to lift up over 100 million Nigerians out of poverty
** vignette Mary spoke about the workshop she organized Daily Asset
* The role of women in any election is very crucial. Apart from being great and efficient mobilizers, women have proven themselves to be pacesetters in terms of carrying out the leadership roles. So, as we move towards the 2023 elections, I expect Nigerian women to break all barriers, offer themselves and put themselves forward for the various political offices in the land. Gone are the days when women would sit back, fold their arms and allow men to dictate their political path. A lot of women have made their marks and I expect more active and robust participation in the coming elections.
** Mary believed the role of women is vital Sun News
* Through advocacy, we encourage as a corporate social organisation from other agencies and private sector, to ensure that every organisation will buy a certain quantity of pads available to schools and send to rural areas as their own CSR
** Mary advocate for pads to be available for women Daily trust
* I will never and cannot withdraw from the race
** Mary determination for her election Nigerian Eye
* Nigerian women have worked their ways to the top in various sectors. Women are now major players in business, politics, the academics and just about any area endeavor. We may not have reached our goal of having 35 representation in government, but women have broken the glass ceiling in the public and private sector. We have a large pool of female entrepreneurs, academicians, sports stars, investors and leaders, who are contributing to the development of the country. Today, you can say we have a lot to show for years of advocacy for gender equality, judging by the success millions of women have recorded in their chosen fields”,
** Mary spoke about women Frontline News
* Nigerian women are hardworking and self-motivated, they create opportunities for themselves and also take opportunities as they come. Our women have always managed to triumph over challenges and cultural disadvantages. Nigerian women have excelled both in the public and private sectors. All we need is the enabling environment to excel in our chosen fields.
** Mary praised Nigerian Women Sun News
* “In addressing the issue of ICT, the centre runs a girls’ coding programme to connect young girls and women to the information super highway and enable them to explore opportunities available in the sector.
** Mary advocates for ICT Punch