Author: Amieyeofori Ibim, Managing Editor

In the midst of a political storm that rattles roofs and tests resolve, the women of Rivers State have learned the ancient art of standing firm. While tempests rage in the public square, they gather their strength not from noise, but from conviction—quiet, enduring, and unafraid.

These women understand that storms do not ask permission before they arrive. Yet they also know that resilience is not forged in calm weather. It is shaped in moments when faith must walk ahead of certainty, and hope must speak louder than fear.

Under the banner of Rivers Women Unite for SIM, their voices rose—not in anger, but in prayer—handing over the affairs of the state to God. In doing so, they reminded a restless polity that governance, stripped of conscience, is an empty ritual.

At the Ecumenical Centre in Port Harcourt, the women refused the seductive silence of what they called “peace of the graveyard.” They rejected a peace that buries justice and stills progress, insisting instead on a living peace—one that breathes dialogue, accountability, and shared destiny.

Their resilience is not passive. It is active, deliberate, and deeply political in the noblest sense. They chose engagement over withdrawal, prayer over panic, and unity over fragmentation, even as lines were drawn and loyalties tested.

In faith, they found courage. In unity, they found strength. And in love, they found the wisdom to rise above the storms without denying their existence. For these women, faith was not an escape from reality; it was a tool to confront it.

Amaopuorubo Sotonye Toby Fulton’s call for steadfastness echoed a truth older than the state itself: that great accomplishments are born where unity dwells. Her charge was simple, yet profound—walk in faith, stand in love, and refuse to be divided by manufactured discord.

Praise and thanksgiving filled the hall, not as ritual gestures, but as acts of defiance against despair. Gratitude became their protest—an assertion that even amid challenges, God’s faithfulness had not failed Rivers State.

Their prayers reached beyond personal comfort to the wider land—asking for peace, prosperity, and good governance. In those moments, the women became custodians of the state’s moral compass, aligning leadership with divine order.

They declared that circumstances do not dethrone God. In affirming His supreme authority, they reclaimed agency over fear and uncertainty, insisting that the future of Rivers State remains guided, guarded, and perfected by a higher hand.

Within this sacred resolve lay their unwavering support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The women did not merely endorse a man; they committed his leadership to wisdom, courage, and divine direction, believing that stability must be protected if progress is to endure.

Their support, however, was not blind. It was hopeful and demanding—rooted in the expectation that leadership must serve the people and honour the trust placed upon it. In this balance, resilience found its moral shape.

Beyond the state, their confidence also extended to the national helm, affirming support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In turbulent times, they chose continuity of governance over chaos, cooperation over confrontation, and nationhood over narrow interests.

The women of Rivers have learned that resilience is a collective song. Each voice strengthens the other, each prayer reinforces the next, until fear loses its grip and courage becomes contagious.

Even celebration was not forgotten. January-born women were honoured, reminding all present that life persists, joy survives, and hope renews itself—even when politics tries to steal the air from the room.

In these women, Rivers State found its quiet sentinels—guardians who do not wield weapons or slogans, but faith, unity, and unwavering resolve. Their resilience is a testimony that storms may bend the branches, but they cannot uproot the roots.

And so, amid political thunder and restless winds, the women stood—unyielding, prayerful, and resolved—proving that when women rise in faith and unity, even the fiercest storm must reckon with their strength.