•Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has decried the cultural conditioning that teaches young women to endure shame and silence rather than confront injustice or assert their worth.
Speaking in Abuja at a mentorship and interactive session held to commemorate the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child yesterday, the Kogi Central lawmaker said society must unlearn norms that encourage women to accept blame and suppress their voices, reports The PUNCH.
“It’s important to identify the girl that I am. Many of us, especially girls, grow up without ever taking the time to understand or connect with who we truly are,” she said.
“Society defines and shapes us from childhood, and we’re rarely given the chance to think for ourselves. Before you figure out your career, your drive, or the change you want to make, you must first know who you are.”
Lamenting the deep-rooted expectations that limit women’s aspirations, the senator added, “Women have been raised to take the shame, wear the blame, and zip their mouths shut.
“But that ends with us. We must find the courage to be bold, audacious, and fearless, to break barriers and climb higher mountains.”
The event, tagged “An Evening with Senator Natasha” and themed after the global campaign “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis,” brought together over 50 young women from across Nigeria for a session of open conversation, reflection, and empowerment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said her mission goes beyond politics, noting that she would not feel fulfilled until her work leads to tangible transformation in communities that have long been deprived of opportunity.
Among the guest speakers was anti-human trafficking advocate Yakubu Oyiza Hope, who shared her journey through abduction, banditry, and violence before rising to become a voice for victims.
Participants described the evening as “eye-opening and transformative,” urging the senator to institutionalise a formal mentorship programme to sustain the impact of the engagement.
The event, attended by journalists and media personalities, ended with a renewed call for women to embrace self-discovery, courage, and leadership in challenging societal norms.
Akpoti-Uduaghan returned to the Senate on October 7 following a six-month suspension that had stirred controversy over institutional authority, gender rights, and due process.
Her suspension, imposed on March 6, 2025, came after she protested the reassignment of her seat in the chamber—her nameplate removed—by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, an action she described as an attempt to “silence” her.
During the suspension, her salary, security, and allowances were withheld, her office was locked, and she was barred from Senate premises and all legislative activities.
Legal challenges followed. A federal high court ruled the suspension unconstitutional; although the Senate initially resisted implementing the ruling, her office was finally unsealed in late September.
When plenary resumed after a 10-week recess, she re-entered the Senate chamber with a small number of supporters and colleagues, formally resuming her legislative duties.
