By Emeka Amaefula
WOMEN CONVERGE 2025: THE RISING SISTERHOOD OF RIVERS STATE
On a humid Thursday morning in Port Harcourt, a quiet transformation began long before the first note of worship floated through the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex Auditorium. Women trooped in—some with children strapped to their backs, others in corporate suits, others in traditional wrappers that swept the floor with regal confidence. They came from markets, ministries, classrooms and churches; from riverbank communities and bustling districts.
By noon, the hall had become a sea of colours, voices and expectations. What brought them together was more than an event—it was a movement.
This was Women Converge 2025, an annual spiritual and empowerment assembly powered by Rivers Women Unite for SIM (RWUS). At the centre of this gathering was its founder, Hon. Chief (Mrs.) Sotonye Toby-Fulton, whose ability to mobilise women across political lines is fast becoming the stuff of legend. Her reputation: a woman who builds bridges—not for politics, but for purpose.
This year’s theme, “The Women: In an Evolving World,” captured the pulse of a society where change moves faster than tradition can catch up.
THE AWAKENING: FAITH, FEMININITY AND A NEW FRONTIER
When the event kicked off, the atmosphere felt part revival, part conference, part sisterhood rebirth. Gospel harmonies filled the air. Women lifted their hands. Some whispered prayers. Others wiped tears.
But beneath the emotional surge lay something deeper: a collective hunger for direction in a world pulling them in a thousand directions.
It was a space where faith was not separate from knowledge, where spiritual clarity met practical survival, where worship stood shoulder-to-shoulder with wisdom.
BREAKING MYTHS, SAVING LIVES: DR. RICHARD OKOYE ON THE SCIENCE OF SURVIVAL
The first major jolt came from Dr. Richard Okoye, founder of the famed Save-A-Life Hospital. His session was less a lecture and more a wake-up call. He confronted one of Africa’s most persistent—and deadly—myths: the belief that every woman must “deliver like a Hebrew woman.”
To expose the misconception, he opened the Scriptures and read directly from Exodus 1:15–19 (KJV): “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:”
“And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.”
“But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.”
“And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?”
“And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.”
With Scripture laid bare, he combined it with science. The auditorium dimmed as anatomical videos illuminated the big screen, showing the intricate mechanics of childbirth.
Then he issued the hard truth.
Many women, he said, endanger their lives by rejecting medical interventions like Caesarean Sections (CS) because they misunderstand this very passage. He explained that the “lively” nature of the Hebrew women in Exodus was a historical context, not a universal biological guarantee.
He warned that prolonged labour can cause oxygen deprivation, birth injuries, and even fatal complications.
“Knowledge saves lives,” he emphasized, raising patented devices he designed for precise monitoring of blood pressure and blood sugar.
Women leaned forward, absorbing every word. For many, it was the first time anyone had broken this taboo so clearly—and with both Scripture and science standing side by side.
THE ECONOMICS OF RESILIENCE: DR. CHINYERE NWOGU’S CALL TO FINANCIAL COURAGE
If Dr. Okoye spoke to the body, Dr. Chinyere Nwogu spoke to the pocket.
The first female President of PHACCIMA commanded the stage like a seasoned captain charting a course through rough waters. She urged women to create multiple income streams, diversify investments, and refuse to remain financially vulnerable in an increasingly unpredictable economy.
Her voice was steady, her message sharp:
“A woman must never depend on one source of income. Not in this economy.”
Her words lit a spark. Women scribbled notes, exchanged glances, whispered ideas to one another. It was empowerment in its rawest form.
THE ALTAR MOMENT: SPIRITUAL WARFARE AND THE WOMEN WHO REFUSE TO BOW
From finance to faith, the atmosphere shifted when Pastor (Mrs.) Eze and Apostle Opuaya Bipiminayefie Agha took the microphone.
They summoned a different energy—intense, fiery, commanding. Women cried out in prayer, waged spiritual war for their families, and reclaimed lost destinies.
It was emotional. It was cathartic. It was a reminder that for many African women, faith remains a survival tool.
THE FIRST LADY’S MOMENT: A TRIBUTE TO THE WOMEN WHO HOLD SOCIETY TOGETHER
Then came the moment the hall had been waiting for. A soft hush fell as Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, First Lady of Rivers State, walked to the podium.
Her message was simple, dignified, and deeply resonant.
She praised the women of Rivers State and Nigeria for thriving under pressures that would break lesser hearts—economic hardship, family responsibilities, societal expectations.
“Women remain strong and relevant in this changing world,” she said.
“You are pace-setters. Your prayers and your commitment shape our society.”
Her emphasis on unity, prayer and focus sparked applause that rolled across the hall like a wave. She thanked the women for their support and prayed for strength for every woman facing the realities of a rapidly changing world.
MORE THAN AN EVENT—A MOVEMENT GAINING MOMENTUM
From worship sessions to keynote messages, Women Converge 2025 felt like a portrait of the modern African woman: spiritual yet ambitious, resilient yet vulnerable, carrying her world but still stretching toward more.
It was a reminder that while society often underestimates women, they remain the backbone of families, communities and economies.
And as the women poured out of the auditorium that afternoon—smiling, chatting, holding hands—one thing was clear: a quiet revolution is gathering force in Rivers State.
Not a political uprising.Not a social protest.But a sisterhood awakening, woven with faith, courage, collaboration and unstoppable resilience.
Women Converge 2025 wasn’t just attended.It was felt.And its impact is only beginning to unfold.
———————
Emeka Amaefula
+234(0)8111813069
