By joshua 
IN THE CASE OF CITIZEN NATASHA vs THE REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
Natasha
– Capt. Abdul Ateiza Alliu, PhD.
Civilization has been widely defined as a society’s success in the areas of advanced development such as stable government, rule of law, culture, technology, and urbanization. The human journey, Edward Taylor (1969) believes, starts from savagery, then barbarism, and finally civilization. Culture is the core foundation upon which every aspect of human development and civilization is built on. It is more crucial than physical edifices such as the size of buildings, roads, and telephone lines. Culture is what defines a society’s band of shared values, norms, beliefs, and ideals. It clarifies how societal members relate with and treat each other across age, gender, and socio-economic levels. Those qualities are what defines the architectural structures and qualities, or DNA, of that society’s civilization. Without the right culture, no society can attain and sustain a durable civilization.
Culture, of course, meant different things for different people. Elliott Jacques succinctly described it as “the way we do things around here.” There’s a whole lot of difference in “the way we do things around here” in a civilized society as compared to the not-so-civilized ones (trying to avoid the word barbaric!). The culture in a civilized society aims to create a level playing field across all genders, ages, and socio-economic levels (low power-distance), with the noble notion that everyone has something tangible to contribute to the overall progression of the society. The not-so-civilized societies, on the other hand, takes pride in widening the gap between its members (high power-distance), adulating those at the top (the “big man”) while suffocating those considered to be at the bottom. Among the “bottomers” are typically the economically disadvantaged, women, and minority groups. Thus, a crucial sign of our delayed level of civilization in Africa is not merely the lack of physical infrastructures, but the high power-distance or the wide gap we have institutionally created within our in-groups and the non-acknowledgement of everyone’s worth and contribution. No society can be successful under such an archaic formula.
The case of Citizen Natasha is a classic example of the male misogyny, big-man syndrome, and hypocrisy that defines the Nigerian society. When Citizen Natasha started her political career some years back, the battle-cry from her enemies was that she is single, divorced, or what have you. Unfortunately, those self-appointed soldiers of marital purity would not extend the same rule to her male opponents; thus, we never get to know how many wives and baby mamas the Yahaya Bellos and the Dino Melayes of the same state have. Such is the hypocrisy of our society.
After Citizen Natasha’s marriage to the Alema of Warri, Mr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the discourse shifted to her husband’s origin. All of a sudden, she became a “non-indigene” by virtue of her marriage to a Deltan! Never mind that, again, her male opponents have partners that cut across different ethnic groups in the country. Citizen Natasha was never accorded the same right to choose her partner from anywhere of her choice because she is a woman. Such is the absurdity of a society that is supposedly aiming towards greatness.
An interesting aspect of gender oppression is that, as in the Stockholm syndrome, some of the victims eventually turn themselves into foot soldiers on behalf of their oppressors. That explains why none of the other three current female Senators in the Republic would come openly to stand by Citizen Natasha, even when they themselves have at one time or the other experienced sexual harassment in their male-dominated environments. That also explains why the current first lady, Mrs. Remi Tinubu, who herself was once a victim of Senator Dino Melaye’s sexual tantrums within the same Senate chambers, would not come to Citizen Natasha’s defence. That’s why the likes of former Senator Florence Ita-Giwa would only mumble some unintelligible responses, even though she knows quite well what sexual harassment entails.
It is quite reasonable to assume that a majority of Nigerian women, aged 28 and above, and who has been through either an educational institution or workplace in Nigeria, has had an experience of sexual harassment and male chauvinism. For those who have not personally experienced it, they know at least one relative or friend who has. It is often openly displayed. It is not hidden because the perpetuators never face any consequence. One of the reasons why there are no consequences is that while everybody knows about it, nobody is willing to stick his or her neck out to fight it. The risks are too high, especially if you are taking on one of the “big men” of our society such as Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Until Citizen Natasha…!
There’s nothing conclusive yet about the guilt or otherwise of Senate President Akpabio. Except that, in a really civilized environment, he would have automatically stepped down from his position and allow an impartial body (preferably an outside body with credibility) to investigate the allegations. He would be more interested in a transparent process in resolving the issue to protect his name and the integrity of the public office he holds.
In a civilized society, there would have been in place an institution that automatically takes over the investigation of such a case, outside the purveyor of the accused and the accuser. Unfortunately, part of our not-so-civilized state is that there are no strong and credible institutions to do anything; almost everywhere you look, the big man is himself the institution! As long as the big man has political power and patronage to dole out, integrity is not an issue in our society. That’s why an individual can be charged for stealing billions of public funds this week and be appointed a minister in-charge of more funds the following week! Senator Godswill Akpabio has walked the “Nigerian walk” and made it to the infamous Big Men’s Club. Nothing shakes you when you are member of the Club! He is confident that he is too big to be challenged by any minion. As a man in high office who everyone kneels down before to curry favours, he probably sees himself as actually conferring a favour on any woman he shows interest in! Afterall, he could have a hundred others without asking.
The issue at stake here is not between Citizen Natasha and Senate President Akpabio alone. It is a case of Citizen Natasha and the millions of silenced women across our educational institutions, job-searching markets, military, and civil work-places versus Nigerian men in every position of authority, small or big. It is a problem that cut across the entire Nigerian society where no one of authority has ever been held accountable. To big men like Akpabio, sexual impunity against women is part of the pecks of his big office. He believes that his value to the society is so high that gratifying himself with some “bottomers” of the society after a hard day’s work on behalf of the people should not raise anyone’s eyebrow. Afterall, that’s the way it has always been. From colonial officers to our local chiefs, when a big man decides to honour a village with his presence, it is a given that some maidens would be lined up for him as a sign of gratitude. Across our big offices in Nigeria, a woman looking for a job or contract knows that she will have to give something to get anything. Academic qualifications without body qualification will not get her anywhere. That’s the way it is and most of our women have come to accept it as their reality. No one has ever tried to challenge that status quo. Until Citizen Natasha.
Citizen Natasha’s broad challenge caught the big man’s handlers pants down, literally! They are not used to this type of battle. Thus, in a rather laughable response, instead of addressing Citizen Natasha’s sexual harassment charges, they claimed that she was suspended for 6 months because of her refusal to be silent when asked to! Really? How coincidental it is that her suspension happened exactly 24 hours after she submitted her petition, which the supposed chairman of an “ethics committee” publicly described as “dead on arrival” because it was signed by her! If the victim of sexual harassment cannot sign her own petition, who is supposed to sign it for her?
It is interesting to note that this is the same Senate floor that has hosted foul language competitions, fistfights, and wrestling in the past, without any repercussion. Of course, those were perpetuated by male Senators and the Senate President is not particularly interested in seeing what’s in-between men’s legs! It is even more comical and childish when they started talking about “re-arranging” seats that affected Citizen Natasha’s! Why are seats being “re-arranged” in the Senate in mid-session? Did they move to a new building? The last time my seat was forcibly moved to the front of the class without my permission or prior notice was in my primary school days, and that was because I was not only the smallest in my class, I was the biggest noise-maker at the back!
Citizen Natasha’s path to the Nigerian Senate was not ordinary; it was paved with broken bottles, nails, scorpions, and snakes. Many fainthearted women (and men!) would have back-tracked. She endured it all and never gave up. It took a court of appeal to give her back what the people of Kogi Central whole-heartedly gave her. So far, her record of delivery to her constituents in the past 2 years has surpassed all the previous occupants of that position from 1999 to 2023. The roads, street lights, school and hospital renovations and technological equipments, women and men empowerment, et cetera, are testaments to Citizen Natasha’s commitment to her constituents. Many people in Kogi Central have never heard of anything called “constituent allowance and projects” before Citizen Natasha became their Senator. Today, it is debatable if there is any other senatorial district in Nigeria that has witnessed the same amount of development that Citizen Natasha has brought to Kogi Central within the past 2 years. None of her accusers can match her achievements with the same resources and the same time. She towers above them all.
Citizen Natasha not only tower above her male opponents and tormentors in her political achievements, she has demonstrated that she has bigger balls too! She has brought the unspoken issue of sexual harassment and male misogyny to the forefront of national and international discourse. Many women in her situation and environment would have kept quiet and take their pains with them to their graves. Not Citizen Natasha! Her poise, eloquence, and dignity are beyond reproach, in spite of all the sponsored propaganda from her enemies. She has weathered the turbulent storm of Nigeria’s ugly politics so far; one hopes that she will continue to stand steadfast and not succumb to the threats of paid urchins in suits and babanriga. Citizen Natasha’s fight is not for herself alone. Her fight is for my 2 daughters, my wife, my 3 sisters, and the millions of other women in Nigeria and Africa who have been permanently silenced by a society that fails to see any value in them besides popping kids and setting the dinner tables.
Mrs. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is not an ordinary citizen of Nigeria. She is a Senator of the Federal Republic, duly elected by a majority of her constituents to represent them. She’s one amongst a handful of only 109 Nigerians elected to make laws for 250 million of us. If this could happen to a woman of her status, one could only imagine what the average woman in our society goes through on a daily basis just to survive. It is unimaginable that in a civilized society, another man who was equally elected as a Senator as she was, will raise a gavel and, with a whim, proclaim that she is “suspended” from representing her people. Senator Natasha was not suspended or recalled by her employers (her constituents), but by another Senator from a completely different state, because she refused to sleep with him. Maybe those who call us “barbaric” are right; no other word seems adequate to describe a society that allows this kind of absurdity to thrive within its shores.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has done a wonderful job in supporting and upholding the interests of her constituents. She has been a good representative of her people. She has not done anything wrong. Her only crime, if that’s the name for it in her country of birth, is that she was born a woman. And, a beautiful one! As a friend of mine casually quipped in response to former Works Minister Adeseye Ogunlewe’s public gaffe on the issue last week, maybe next time the good people of Kogi Central decides to pick a female as their Senator, they should look for an ugly one! Maybe that would help in quelling the gluttonous sexual appetite of Senator Akpabio and his 104 adult juvenile friends who inhabit the Nigerian Senate, living fat on our common wealth. Or, maybe, it is those 105 ugly men in our Senate that needs to be replaced by handsome men. Yes, my friend was right: Citizen Natasha is too beautiful a soul and she should not be sharing space with such barbarians.