Day of the girl-child: Natasha urges young women to lead change, break barriers

Day of the girl-child: Natasha urges young women to lead change, break barriers
By Idun Maximus

Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has urged young women across Nigeria to embrace courage, self-awareness, and purposeful leadership, saying true change begins with knowing oneself and rejecting the societal limitations imposed on women.
The senator made the call at the weekend, at an interactive mentorship session in Abuja, to mark the 2025 International Day of the Girlchild. The event, themed “An Evening with Senator Natasha”, drew from the global theme “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis.”
Over 50 young women from different parts of the country gathered for an evening of open conversation and reflection with the lawmaker, who shared her personal and political journey as a means of inspiring courage and resilience.
In her address, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan said leadership and meaningful change must begin with self-discovery.
“It’s important to identify the girl that I am,” she said. “Many of us, especially girls, grow up without ever taking the time to understand or connect with who we truly are. 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.”
She urged the participants to rise above societal conditioning that silences women and stifles their potential, noting that “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.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan added that her greatest sense of fulfillment would come from seeing the tangible impact of her work in transforming lives and uplifting deprived communities.
The event also featured testimonials and inspirational talks from guest speakers, including anti-human trafficking advocate Yakubu Oyiza Hope, who recounted her harrowing experiences of abduction, banditry, and violence before overcoming adversity to become a voice for victims of trafficking.
Participants described the evening as a transformative experience and appealed to the senator to institutionalise a mentorship programme to sustain the guidance and support shared during the session.