In what appeared to signal reconciliation, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Thursday extended an invitation to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and all senators to attend a series of project commissioning events in Kogi State next week.
The invitation was read by Akpabio during plenary, drawing applause and laughter from lawmakers across party lines. The Senate President, smiling as he concluded the reading, said, “Congratulations in advance,” a remark that earned further cheers from colleagues.
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s letter, personally signed by her, the commissioning ceremonies will be held on Sunday in Ihima, Okene Local Government Area, to commemorate her second year in the Senate. The meeting point, she stated, would be her residence at Plot 101, Jimoh Akpoti Street, Ihima.
She further informed colleagues that those arriving by air could land at the Obajana Airstrip before proceeding by road to Ihima.
The cordial exchange between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio is seen as the culmination of quiet reconciliation efforts following earlier tensions that had strained relations among some lawmakers earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, the Senate has received a bill sponsored by Akpoti-Uduaghan seeking to establish a National Centre for Autism and six zonal centres across Nigeria to promote early diagnosis, therapy, research, and inclusion for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
The proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Centre for Autism and Six Zonal Centres for Autism Diagnosis, Research, Education, and Care; and for Related Matters,” aims to create a coordinated national framework to address one of Nigeria’s least understood neurodevelopmental conditions.
According to the draft bill obtained by THISDAY, Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that the initiative stemmed from compassion and the need to provide structured institutional support for families and children affected by autism.
“Autism is not a rare condition; it is simply rarely understood in our society. Many children with autism are mislabeled as stubborn, mentally ill, or possessed leading to rejection, abuse, and lifelong exclusion,” she said.
“This Bill seeks to end that neglect by establishing a national system for diagnosis, management, and inclusion.”
