Light Is Life: Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Lighting Up Kogi Central

Ozumi Abdul

‘Vox populi vox dei’, a Latin axiom that translates to mean “voice of the people is the voice of God.

The people of Kogi Central Senatorial District, in February last year, being 2023 actually unanimously spoke through their thumbs at the polling booths, their voices were heard clear and loud, their prayers were heeded by God almighty, and in them the Almighty bequeathed
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as their representative at the hallowed chamber of the Senate, despite the tribunal and appellate court back and forth debacles.

Now,the people are getting the deserved rewards for their staunch, unwavering and unflinching steadfastness, commitment and faithfulness.

The atmosphere in the land now connotes that of joy, the people are happy, the feeling is that they now have the senator of their own since 1999, the senator who actually listens with rapt attention to the cries and hues of the dregs and most vulnerable of the society. A senator who shares in their pains, even without gains. A leader who knows where the poor shoes pinches them and tries to mend the shoes for them for the restoration of their needed succors and respites.

That’s leadership speaking, that’s empathy in action, that’s capacity talking, that’s benevolence, altruism, selflessness, compassion, nobility and magnanimity manifesting.

Indeed, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, and when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Two weeks ago, barely six weeks after being sworn in as senator, the lawmaker commissioned streetlights across the Central Senatorial District, which is majorly dominated by the Ebira speaking extraction of Kogi state.

You read it well, I mean six weeks, and not six months or years; a feat the combination of five men, who were formally senators of the Central Senatorial District before her, some who are even old enough to father her couldn’t achieve since 1999, despite age-long darkness that had enveloped the senatorial district, occasioned by constant power outages.

In some rare cases, I have now come to terms with the seeming feminist saying that “what a man can do, women can do better”. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been able to aptly exemplified this within her shortest stint at the senate.

In just six months, she has trounced the achievements of the men senators before her. Light is life, the Kogi Central is full of life and liveliness now. Women in Bariki market (Ohu Variki) now go about their businesses till late dusk, they don’t have to hurriedly pack their wares by 6pm again when the day starts frowning its face in gradual transition to dusk. Economy wise, that’s a huge plus for our senatorial district.

Children now take solace, converge under Senator Natasha’s streetlights to do their assignments, and actively engage themselves in other academic activities. That connotes educational progress for our leaders of tomorrow.

Criminal elements have no hiding places in the sedate and ambience of darkness again to perpetuate heinous crimes, that means sanity and security to us.

She is not in the national assembly as its clerk, where opportunities abound, but so far her stewardship as a senator has surpassed those who had spent over nine years in that office.

God forbid, if for any reason she decides today to resign her position as a senator, the Anebiras I know will fondly remember her more than a man that has spent over nine years as the clerk of the national assembly without requisite impacts on Ebiraland and Anebiras.

Sadly enough, the time she commissioned the 800 streetlights across Kogi Central appeared to coincide with the time another federal law maker of another political divide, from the same Kogi Central was spraying masquerade with sack-starked one thousand naira notes from dusk to dawn.

That’s during this austerity era, when it’s fast becoming miraculous for his constituents to afford two square meals of the poorest standards.

That’s people’s money, my money, your money, our money, his constituency and constituents’ money, not his personal money. But it’s normal to us, nothing is wrong with that, we venerate and showered him with all manners of superlatives, we revered him as honorable to get perhaps some thousand naira to eat whereas he is horrible, we praised him, we hero-worshiped him, his malfeasances broke the internet circle of Ebira people as a hero. Shame on us.

Speaking during the commissioning of the project in Adavi, Okene, and Okehi local government areas, Senator Natasha assured the constituents of good representation, adding that they won’t be left out in the dividends of democracy.

“I am here to fulfill one of the campaign promises I made. I told you I would bring the very best of democracy and governance to you. In just six weeks in office, I could put up these streetlights.

“It took barely one week to install 800 streetlights across Kogi Central. This is phase one of the project. In the coming months, we will install many more street lights across all the streets and corners of Kogi Central.

“We are going to do our very best to illuminate our streets to do away with darkness; we know what darkness does—it cuts short commercial activities”.

“I promise you that in the next few months, we are going to have many more projects: primary healthcare centers, primary schools, water projects, and many more. Every month, we are going to commission projects,” she said.

I pray she won’t be distracted to take her foot off the pedal of her good deeds towards the people of her senatorial district. I didn’t gazea crystal ball, but I forsee Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan taking her seat amongst the pantheon of Ebira greats.

I have the premonition that she will be the first female Anebira to be revered in the same realm with the great A.T Ahmed, our immediate past Ohinoyi, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Ibrahim Ado, the Onusabas, the Joe Makanjus,the Justice Moses and our current amiable Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello Oziandisa.

Most of these people have transited to the world beyond, but their names till date
remain relevant, ring bell and etched in the Ebira history eternally; their antecedents and achievements are actually outliving them.

My wish now is that truce be brokered between our amiable Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello and the people’s senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for the purpose and progress of our dear Ebiraland.

I want Ebiraland and our leaders to be fighting from a united front without division because we have many opportunities abound at our beck and call now. We have never been this advantaged since the creation of Kogi state over three decades ago.

Siblings do have squabbles, but I pray that these great Ebira scions sheath their swords, work together to move Ebiraland to enviable heights, because we have been orphaned by the modern day developments, and bereft of socioeconomic prosperity as a senatorial district.

Who says Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan cannot return to the fold of the ruling APC to work with the incoming administration of Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo in order to foster development in our state and dear Ebiraland?

We shouldn’t forget that her political itineraries and voyages actually began in the APC, had good mutual and political relationships with Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, before some mischievous elements reportedly came in between them with perfidious lies, deceptions and gimmickry, laced with voodoos, and then broke their hitherto good political relationship into shreds and fragmentations.

So, I see and pray Senator Natasha returns to her natural abode, being the APC, for the good of our state and Ebiraland.

If she does, and continues with these her trajectories of delivering dividends of democracy to the people of constituency, she will again be the candidate to beat in 2027.

The Ozichenyi will not need the turtling irachenyi (guns) to win again with consumate ease. She will not need thugs, data boys or campaigns to win, because her deeds will be campaigning for reemergence.

It’s good to do good. Senator Natasha should be a model to any politician who wants to be in the good book of his or her people.

Thank you Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for lighting up Kogi Central.

Ozumi Abdul Anipr, is a journalist, fact-checker, PR consultant and fellow of ICIR. He can be reached via abdulozumi83@gmail.com