Each year, I choose a person who, to me, most embodies the spirit of Nigeria in that moment — our pain, our promise, and most of all, our power. Sometimes this choice surprises people: like when I chose Naira Marley at the height of his polarising fame, or Fisayo Soyombo, whose name many Nigerians didn’t know despite his extraordinary journalism. Sometimes it’s an emerging artist like Rema, right before the world caught up.
But this year, there is no need to convince anyone.
This time, we all saw it. We all felt it.
In 2025, no one captured the mood of the Nigerian soul – its courage, its defiance, its audacity – more than Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Just days ago, as I write this, I saw her in the news speaking to young women on the International Day of the Girl Child. “Be bold. Be fearless,” she told them. And I thought – if there is anyone in Nigerian public life today with the right to say those words and mean them, it is Natasha.
Because this is a woman who has stood alone. And done so repeatedly.
There was the unforgettable moment — now folklore – when, blocked from entering her constituency by what she alleged was state-sponsored sabotage, she didn’t cancel the visit. She didn’t sulk. She didn’t beg. She literally flew over the obstruction and landed by helicopter to rapturous cheers from thousands of waiting constituents.
It was an iconic moment. Not just of resistance. But of knowing. Of understanding power in a Nigerian context and knowing exactly how to wield it. But the past year took her story from symbolic to seismic.
When she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of orchestrating her removal from the Red Chamber in a saga of raw politics, legal drama, and institutional silence, she refused to back down.
When she was removed from office, she went to court.
When colleagues abandoned her – including, strikingly, all the women senators – she marched alone.
When the court ruled in her favour, she walked back into the National Assembly flanked by her husband, flanked by history.
She was not cowed. She was not quiet. She was not broken.
And that is why she matters.
Because Natasha is not just another political actor. She is not another “strong woman” in quotes. She is a Nigerian woman navigating one of the most violently exclusionary, patriarchal spaces in the country and refusing to play small.
She has done it not just with presence, but with poise. She showed up in court in full glam. She did the hard work of legislating and the soft power of Instagram. She aligned with feminist icons like Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu. She showed that power doesn’t have to come at the expense of joy, or femininity, or flair.
Even when barred from speaking for her constituents in the chamber, she returned home to commission projects, organise interventions, and nurture the same community that stood by her when institutions turned their backs. That loop – the intimacy between Natasha and the people she represents – has remained unbroken.
Of course, the court case is still ongoing. Of course, we don’t know the full truth of every allegation. But that is not what this honour is about.
This recognition is not about legal outcomes. It is about spirit. It is about resistance. It is about showing Nigerians – every Nigerian – what is possible when you stand your ground, even if you must stand alone.
In a year filled with apathy, cynicism, and cooptation, Natasha gave us something rare: a public figure who refused to bow. Who refused to apologise for being visible, vocal, victorious.
She reminded Nigerians – young and old, wherever they are – that you don’t have to shrink to survive. That even in a rigged game, you can play to win.
And for that reason, Natasha Akpoti is the Culture Icon for 2025.
