Visionary approach to development

In the early years of the 20th century, some remedies and precautions were becoming available, and Mary provided vaccination against the dreaded smallpox, and set up mission hospitals for treating illnesses and injuries suffered by the people. Mary's dedicated work with the people and her almost total integration was crowned in an official request by the Governor that she combined her missionary activities with an administrative position as the first woman vice consul of Britain.
Roads were being driven into the interior, and military expeditions were starting to make use of motor vehicles. She was constantly urging the Foreign Mission Board in Edinburgh to finance extensions of her work in the interior. She demonstrated a true missionary spirit through religion and evangelism, through  education and literacy, in social justice and health care as well as in economic development.
The trading markets which she had enthusiastically encouraged attracted people from far afield, and her attempts to reach out to them were the natural consequences of these contacts she made. Gradually the long awaiting money was forthcoming and what a relieve this was. She continued to move even further into the heartland as new missionaries took over responsibility for the posts vacated, with faith and sincerity, courage and love.
The tribes of old Itu had heard of the white Ma, and they anticipated her coming with mixed feelings of fear and love. Her blessed life made winning them an easier task than she faced at Okoyong. Here she repeated the successes of Okoyong. With the aid of her converted boys and girls from Okoyong the Gospel spread rapidly among the tribes.
Through the Board's blessings she opened a station at Itu, an old slave market, and later built the Mary Slessor Hospital Itu, which was supervised by a medical missionary. It became a haven of peace and sanctuary for the people, it was a place where life was created and sustained. A place that provided hope and succour to the people and where every  type of sickness was treated.
The hospital structures were fascinating from an architectural point of view, it today, however, finds its self in a sorry state, merely a shadow of what they once were: ruins taken over by crawling creatures such as lizards and snakes, all been disused and discarded, faded into our past.
In 1912 her health demanded a rest. She vacationed in the Canary Islands where she was treated splendidly, and she was soon able to return to her jungle home.
In August of 1914 when World War I broke out, she was scheduling a visit to Scotland, but traveling conditions were unsafe and she postponed the trip. Later in the year she succumbed to a fever. The Christian doctor from the Slessor Hospital at Itu treated her.


The uncrowned Queen died in a hut.

By 1915, the self-contained firm young woman, the worker whose chosen task was everything, the same quiet servant of humanity for whom difficulties and dangers hardly existed, was going down, due  to repeated illnesses and general hardships that she faced. Her physical strength rapidly declined. The woman who had once thought nothing of all-night treks through the virgin rain forest was finally reduced to travelling in a hand-cart pushed by her helpers.
On the 13th January 1915, after an unbearable and lengthy bout of fever, Mma Mary Slessor died at Use IkotOkon in her moody hut. She demonstrated humbleness through faith.
She was accorded a state funeral and, in 1953, the new head of the Commonwealth, Elizabeth II, made her own pilgrimage to the graveside.
Her image featuring on the Scottish 10 Pound banknote. Mary Slessor is still remembered in Dundee and there is a growing world-wide interest in her work.


The aims and objectives died with her

Beside the fact that Mary Slessor worked her whole live to stop the horrific killing of twins, the people went back into their traditional believe and practice when she passed away.
Her aims and objectives died with her, the twins, albinos, the less privileged kids, the children and women accused of witchcraft, are still being brutally killed and sacrificed in rituals, for political positions or religious initiations till date.
It is unfortunate that until now Mma Mary Slessor has not been given that recognition, as a major player in shaping the socio-cultural, religious perceptions. She was the pioneer of women's rights in this region, Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Her great works as well as her preceding colleagues laid the foundation for the Southern and Northern Nigerian Protectorate . The Missionaries were the real founders of the Protectorate of Nigeria.
Mary Slessor was a driving force behind the establishment of the Hope Waddell Institute, although Edinburgh was doubtful about accepting Mary Slessors demand to establish an industrial training centre. But eventually they decided to set up an institute on similar lines to its two existing ones in Africa, Lovedale Institute in South Africa and Livingstonia in Nyasaland.
Mary Slessor is not the first thing people in Europe would associate with Nigeria. The image of Nigeria nowadays is dominated by problems. The country is struggling with issues such as the radicalization in the northern states, insecurity across the country, abundant corruption, fraud, degradation of the ecology and  historical facts neglect.


The way forward

We therefore ask you to join our effort to raise the awareness of the legacy of Mary Slessor and put her in her rightful place in the history of Nigeria and world.
In order to celebrate her legacy the following projects have been earmarked for the region. The benefits of all these initiatives would conform to her aims and objectives as was embroiled in her philosophy:
•   The initiation of community and school gardens can be perfectly linked to her philosophy and actions from the past, such as empowering woman through the cooking of soup for the community.
•   The activation of the healthcare centre and the raise of awareness of fighting and preventing cervical cancer  and other illnesses are evident choices to re-energize her presence in the region. Sensitization and awareness were often the few tools she had in her own hands.
•   Initiating sustainable crop production through a training program for young laboratory scientists on protection and management of the natural resources. The emphasis will be on community-based soil and water conservation in rural areas as one of the options to make the region more independent. This will in turn restore the strong self-confidence of knowing how to live and handle the habitat just as it was when she first stepped down on the territory.
•   Initiating a youth sports academy in the region in association with local schools and sports officials will be a way of continuing her work in engaging and shaping the future of the youth in the 21st century.


Celebrating the legacy

13 January 2015 marks the centenary of the death of Mary Slessor. Our organization, the ‘NGO Ette Ibibio’ is working towards activities and projects to mark her legacy.
•   It would be a ground-breaking moment to start the campaign and raise awareness against the continuous gruesome killing of twins that is still going on underground.
•   The killing of twins, albinos, the less privileged kids and those accused of witchcraft has to stop with immediate effect.
•   From the 13th of January 2015, together we want to give the people a platform from which their voices would be heard.
•   Together we want to give them a stage where they will convey their right to live without fear or favour.
•   This anniversary is meant to give back to the twins their rights and freedom of existence in line with Mary Slessor’s life long goal.
•   We wish to establish the pride and courage among twins so that they are able to stand up and be proud to pronounce and express themselves as twins.
•    They do not have to be segregated and live in fear of being prosecuted for a crime they have not committed.
They are just innocent souls who did not ask or chose to be born as twins and therefore must be accorded the right and respect to live just like anyone else.