34 Facts You Might Not Know About Senator Natasha Akpoti-Ndughan's Private Life & Public Battles:
By Charles Segun Adegbite
The famous female senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is in the midst of a storm now has, a lot of things many people might not know about her.
Among those virtues are the reasons people believed a lot of her colleagues in the Senate are afraid of her and couldn't wait to give her a fair hearing before giving her six months suspension, with heavy punishments which included the withdrawal of her security details; implying that if she can be kidnapped or killed by her adversaries within the period, it is none of their business.
Read more about her life, virtues and challenges here:
1. Birth:
She was born Natasha Hadiza Akpoti on December 9, 1979, at the Maternity Hospital Ilorin, Kwara state. She shares same birth day with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio who was born on December 9, 1962.
2. Parentage:
Her father, Dr. Jimoh Abdul Akpoti, was a Nigerian from Kogi State, while her mother, Ludmila Kravchenko, is a Ukrainian from the then USSR, now Ukraine.
3. Upbringing:
Natasha spent her formative years in Okehi and neighboring towns, in Okehi Local Govt Area of Kwara State (now in Kogi State ) learning philanthropy and empathy from her father.
4. Education:
She attended Christ the King Nursery and Primary School, Okene, Kogi state, and later Government Girls Unity Secondary School, Oboroke, Kogi State.
5. Head Girl:
Natasha was the Head Girl at Federal Government College, Idoani, Ondo State, where she graduated in 1997.
6. University Education:
She obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Abuja in 2004.
7. Early Marriage:
Natasha got married at 19, just a week after gaining university admission, and had her first son, Daniel, months later.
8. Nigerian Bar:
She was called to the Nigerian Bar on November 8, 2005 and became a Barrister at Laws.
9. Career:
Natasha worked as a legal counsel at Brass LNG from 2007 to 2010.
10. Mastery:
She bagged Master of Laws(LLM) which she obtained in 2011 from the University of Dundee, Scotland. She also earned a Master of Business Administration(MBA) degree in Oil and Gas Management in 2012.
11. Social Entrepreneurship:
Natasha decided to become a social entrepreneur and reformer in 2015, focusing on industrialization and employment creation.
12. Builders Hub Impact Investment Program:
She founded BHIIP in 2015 to drive industrialization and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
integrated Technology Innovation and Business Growth hub situated in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in collaboration with Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC,
13. Fighting Spirit & Advocacy for Justice.
Natasha is a woman with a fighting spirit for justice and advocacy for a better society.
She came to limelight in 2018 when she led a fight for economic justice
and strong advocacy for the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi state.
She took the struggle to the floor of the National Assembly where she made a bold and brilliant presentation and exposed the corruption in the age long abandoned Ajaokuta Steel project.
14. Adventure Into Politics:
She first contested for the Kogi Central Senatorial seat under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2019 but lost to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“I hope with time, they will know that my efforts, and my life I have put beyond the redline is for the betterment of all of us and the future of our children”, she said during the 2018 electioneering campaign.
15. Senatorial Election:
In 2023 Natasha ran for the Senate again and was declared the winner of the 2023 Kogi Central Senatorial election by the election tribunal.
16. Legislative Achievements:
As a senator, Akpoti has sponsored several bills, including the Gold Reserve Bill and the Federal Medical Centre, Ihima, establishment Bill. She has also facilitated various projects in her constituency, including the construction of solar-powered water systems and electricity projects.
17 Awards:
She has received several awards, including the African Women Leadership Award and the This Day Senator of the Year Award.
18. Controversy:
Natasha has been involved in controversies, including a defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
19. Legal Action & Ex Parte Application:
Her legal team filed an ex parte application, which allows for temporary relief without the opposing party being present.
20. Court Order:
On March 5, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order restraining the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from taking disciplinary action against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Ndughan.
21 Adjournment:
The court adjourned the lawsuit to March 25, 2025, indicating that the case is ongoing and awaiting further legal arguments.
22. Suspension: Defiance by the Senate
Despite the court order, the Senate Committee proceeded with disciplinary action, suspending Senator Akpoti-Ndughan for six months over allegations of misconduct; which have generated a lot of controversies and criticism.
23. Separation of Powers:
The controversies that trailed her suspension have also raised questions about the separation of powers and the limits of judicial intervention in legislative matters, with some arguing that the court's order overstepped its bounds.
24. Marital Life & Challenges:
Natasha got married to her current husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan on May 5, 2022 .
She has experienced marital crisis in her previous marriage, through which she got children; starting from age 19, while in university. Her marital challenges made her decided to remain single at the time she was contesting in 2019, which was used to campaign against her.
This led to her marrying High Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan in 2022 which made it possible for her to win elections in 2023. Hence her resolve not to allow anyone to break her marriage.
25. Pioneering Technology Innovation Hub:
She's the first Ebira woman, Nigerian, and West African to initiate the establishment of a 21-hectare integrated Technology Innovation and Business Growth hub in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
26. African Women Leadership Award:
Akpoti-Uduaghan is the first Ebira woman to receive the African Women Leadership Award, presented by Mrs. Jewel Taylor, Vice President of Liberia
27. Humanitarian Work:
She's the first Ebira woman to establish an NGO of international standards, caring for the aged, over 600 underprivileged children, and orphans, earning her numerous global awards.
28. Advocacy and Protest:
This Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan led a one-man protest to the National Assembly, advocating for the masses' rights to equity, justice, and fair play.
29. Women's Rights and Employment:
She's the first woman in modern Ebira nation to fight for the rights of the masses, advocating for employment and development opportunities.
30. Presidential Award for Ajaokuta Steel's Revival:
Akpoti-Uduaghan is perhaps the first Nigerian non-engineer to receive a presidential award from the Nigerian Society of Engineers for her efforts in reviving Ajaokuta Steel.
31. Courage in the Face of Adversity:
She's the only person in Ebiraland to take both state and federal governments to court over the Ogaminana massacre.
32. Changing Political Narratives:
Akpoti-Uduaghan is the first Ebira woman to change the political narrative through President Muhammadu Buhari's change mantra, focusing on corruption and fair play.
33. Women's Nationalism:
She's the first Ebira woman in modern Ebira society to be ranked among women nationalists who fought against obnoxious government policies.
34. Historic Senatorial Election:
Akpoti-Uduaghan is the first Ebira woman to be elected as a senator, due to her relentless efforts in advocacy for women's rights and gender equality, youths empowerment, social and economic justice, among others.
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