In old Ikom, at a time when leadership and formal education were largely reserved for men, Regina Achi Nentui lived a life that quietly altered expectations. She belonged to the earliest generation of Ikom women to receive Western education and later emerged as a leading figure in local government during Nigeria’s independence era. Her story is rooted in classrooms, church offices, and council chambers, places that shaped both her character and her public legacy.
She was born on 31 December 1929 to Chief Nentui Odu and Mma Eguri Ojong Nentui of Ikom. Her early life unfolded alongside the growth of Roman Catholic institutions in the area, which played a central role in shaping education and social organisation in old Ikom. These institutions produced schools, hospitals, and parish structures that became gateways into literacy, employment, and public responsibility.
Early life and mission education
Regina Achi Nentui grew up in a period when Western education was still new and unevenly distributed. Within Ikom, access to schooling often depended on proximity to mission establishments and family involvement with the church. She became one of the first four women from Ikom to receive Western education, entering a system that had only just begun to include girls.
This early exposure to structured learning placed her within a small pioneering group. Education in that era did more than teach reading and writing, it formed discipline, administrative ability, and social confidence. For young women, it also opened narrow but meaningful paths into teaching, church service, and later civic life.
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Education and professional training
Her educational journey included primary schooling across several mission institutions and formal teacher training at Teachers Training College in Afikpo, where she earned a Teachers Training Certificate. She later attended the University of Benin for a certificate course in social work, broadening her preparation for public service beyond the classroom.
This combination of teacher training and social welfare education shaped the professional direction of her life. It reflected a generation of educated women who carried their skills into roles that blended instruction, care, and administration.
Teaching career and church service
Regina Achi Nentui spent many years working within the Roman Catholic mission school system. Her career included teaching and leadership roles in schools in Assiga, Ugep, Ikom, and Edor. In these communities, teachers were central figures, responsible not only for education but also for moral instruction and social order.
Alongside her work in schools, she served for many years as parish secretary at Holy Family Parish in Ikom. This role placed her at the administrative heart of parish life, managing records, correspondence, and coordination within the church community. It was work that demanded organisation, discretion, and trust, qualities that later defined her approach to public office.
Entry into politics during independence
In 1960, as Nigeria approached independence, Regina Achi Nentui entered elective politics. She contested the chairmanship of the then Ikom County Council on the platform of the NCNC and won. Her tenure as chairman lasted from 1960 to 1963.
These were years of transition and expectation. County councils held significant authority over local administration, infrastructure, markets, sanitation, and community development. To lead such a council was to influence the everyday conditions of life across towns and villages.
Chairmanship of Ikom County Council, 1960 to 1963
As Chairman of Ikom County Council, Regina Achi Nentui presided over an administrative area covering what is now Ikom, Boki, and Etung. Her leadership placed her at the centre of local governance during the early years of Nigeria’s nationhood.
Her chairmanship stands out in the historical record because women rarely occupied such positions at the time. She became a visible example of female political authority in a setting where public leadership was still overwhelmingly male. Her role linked education, discipline, and civic responsibility in a way that reshaped local perceptions of women in governance.
Social welfare and civil service
After her tenure in elected office, Regina Achi Nentui continued in public service. She worked within the civil service of the former South Eastern State as a social welfare officer and later became associated with the Remand Home in Ogoja. Her work focused on youth welfare and reform, extending her lifelong commitment to education and community care into a broader institutional setting.
She retired from public service in 1992, after decades spent in teaching, administration, politics, and social welfare.
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Final years and passing
In her later years, she lived quietly in Ikom, remaining connected to church life and community affairs. She died on 1 July 2020 at the age of 90. Her burial took place on 4 August 2020 in Ikom, in accordance with her wishes, during a period shaped by public health restrictions.
Her passing drew attention to a life that had spanned colonial rule, independence, and modern Nigeria, and to a woman whose name remained closely associated with service and leadership in old Ikom.
Legacy in Ikom’s history
Regina Achi Nentui’s legacy lies in the paths she walked and the spaces she occupied. She was among the earliest educated women of Ikom, a long serving mission teacher, a parish administrator, an elected county council chairman during the independence era, and a civil servant dedicated to social welfare.
Her life demonstrates how education and service combined to create authority in a society undergoing rapid change. Without spectacle or noise, she expanded the boundaries of what women could do in her community and left a record that continues to speak across generations.
Author’s Note
This article tells the story of Regina Achi Nentui as a life shaped by education, service, and leadership, from early mission schooling through decades of teaching and welfare work to her role as Chairman of Ikom County Council between 1960 and 1963, her journey shows how quiet determination and public duty can alter history without fanfare.
References
ThisDayLive, “Celebrating Nigeria’s First Elected Female Local Government Chairperson,” 31 July 2020.
Calitown, “Funeral Announcement,” 31 July 2020.
CrossRiverWatch, “Ex Senate Leader, Ndoma-Egba To Bury Mother On Tuesday,” 3 August 2020.
The Whistler, “Tribute To My Mother, Madam Regina Achi Nentui,” 5 August 2020.
BusinessDay, Interview referencing Regina Achi Nentui’s council role, 31 August 2020.
PatriotNews, Burial report on Madam Regina Achi Nentui, 1 August 2020.
Vanguard, “Okowa condoles with Ndoma-Egba on passing of mum, mother in law,” 3 July 2020.
