A major summit held by educators in Owerri, Imo State, commemorating the Aba Women’s Revolt of 1929 has released a comprehensive declaration by the 675 participants calling for gender parity in government and annual nationwide celebrations of the historic uprising.

The day-long conference, held at Rockview Hotel Owerri on December 18, 2025, drew attendees from across Nigeria and abroad. The event was hosted by the Organizing For Opportunities (OFO) Educational Foundation and chaired by Professor Chinwe Obaji, Nigeria’s first female Minister of Education.

Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji, founder and president of OFO Educational Foundation and pioneer commissioner for Homeland Security in Imo State, spearheaded the organization of the conference.

The resulting “Owerri Declaration of 2025” puts forward nine key recommendations. Central among them are calls for mandatory 50 percent female representation in all legislative houses nationwide and equal gender representation in executive cabinets at federal and state levels, including the Federal Capital Territory.

The declaration urges state governments in Nigeria’s Southeast and Southsouth regions to construct at least one memorial to the revolt in their respective capitals. It also recommends that state assemblies in these regions declare the first Friday of November a public holiday honouring the women’s uprising.

Additional provisions call for the production of documentaries, films, and literature both for adults and children – chronicling the 1929 revolt. The declaration specifically endorses actress and producer Stephanie Okereke Linus’s plans to produce a film about the historic event.

The Conference Organizing Committee further called on governments, non-governmental organizations, and corporate entities to support annual celebrations of the Aba Women’s Revolt across Nigeria and in diaspora communities.

In the declaration, organizers expressed gratitude to Professor Obaji for her leadership in chairing the conference.