• Moves to institutionalise autism care, research, inclusion nationwide

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

In a move that suggested genuine reconciliation, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, yesterday, invited  the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and all senators to attend a series of project commissioning in Kogi State next week.

This happened when Akpabio read out Natasha’s letter inviting colleagues to join her in Ihima, Okene Local Government Area, for the commissioning of constituency projects to mark her second year in the Senate.

According to the letter personally signed by the Kogi lawmaker, the ceremonies will take place on Sunday, with the meeting point set at her residence on Plot 101, Jimoh Akpoti Street, Ihima, Kogi State.

“In marking my second year anniversary as serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to invite my distinguished colleagues to join me for project commissioning in Kogi State,” the letter read in part.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also informed her colleagues that those traveling by air could land at the Obajana Airstrip before proceeding to Ihima by road.

After reading the letter, Akpabio, visibly pleased, smiled and said, “Congratulations in advance,” drawing applause and laughter from senators across party lines.

The public exchange appeared to seal months of quiet reconciliation efforts following the bitter episode that had strained relations between both lawmakers and their colleagues earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, the senate has received a legislation 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 living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

The Bill was 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.”

The proposed law aimed to provide a coordinated national response to one of Nigeria’s least understood but increasingly prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions.

According to the draft of the Bill obtained by THISDAY, Akpoti-Uduaghan said the initiative was born out of compassion and the urgent need to provide institutional support for families and children grappling with autism, many of whom are currently left to navigate the condition without structured help.

“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. This development is therefore leading to rejection, abuse, and lifelong exclusion.

“This Bill seeks to end that neglect by providing Nigeria with a national framework for diagnosis, management, and inclusion,” she said.

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