Oh Patrick, You Didn’t Just Say That About a Woman in Today’s Global World! -By John Egbeazien Oshodi

For Labelling Her Pancake Face and Ignorant, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan Sues SP Akpabio, Others, Demands N100bn

Oh Mfon Patrick, you think because you are in Africa, in Nigeria, where women are still seen by many as secondary to men, that you could say such degrading words and get away with it?

Oh Mfon Patrick, these cold, calculated words did not just reach Natasha’s ears—a lawyer, a human rights activist, a mother, a wife, a senator. They went far beyond her. They traveled through the halls of the Senate, past the walls of Nigeria, and into the ears of aspiring girls, professional women, female leaders—married or single—across the globe

Oh Mfon Patrick, you didn’t just say those words.

You did not just insult Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan—you insulted every woman who has had to fight for her place in a world where men have been conditioned to believe that leadership is theirs by default. You insulted every girl in Nigeria who dreams of breaking barriers but is constantly reminded that her worth will be measured by her obedience rather than her brilliance. You insulted every working woman who has walked into a boardroom, only to be judged first by her looks instead of her ideas.

You insulted every single mother, every female leader, every woman in Africa and beyond, who has dared to challenge a system that was built to keep them beneath men.

Oh Mfon Patrick, do you even realize what you have done?

Yet, she had a frustrating outburst on the floor, where she is one of only four women in a place of 109 senators, a space overwhelmingly dominated by men with a history of female powerlessness, like in traditional Nigerian society, where women are told to stay in their place, obey, and never challenge male authority. The weight of this history, the burden of constantly fighting for recognition in a space designed to exclude her, reached its breaking point. And instead of acknowledging the institutionalized struggles she faces, instead of addressing the deeper issue of gender suppression in Nigeria’s leadership, you, Mfon Patrick, decided to attack her appearance.

Oh Patrick, why?

Oh Patrick, why did you stray or go to that ugly level?

Why did you think that in today’s world—a world where women are Presidents, CEOs, scientists, astronauts, warriors, and revolutionaries—you could reduce a sitting senator to her makeup and outfit?

Why did you think that in 2025, in a Senate that should be setting an example for the nation, you could use the language of ridicule, mockery, and misogyny against a woman who has earned her place at the table?

Patrick, You Thought This Would Stay in Nigeria? Think Again.

This is 2025, not 1925.

This is a world where women are leading nations, commanding industries, shaping policies, and defining the future.

And yet, in Nigeria’s highest legislative chamber, a Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President thought it was acceptable to reduce a female senator’s worth to her “pancake face” and “transparent outfits.”

Do you think this will be forgotten?

The backlash that is coming will not just be from Natasha.

It will come from every woman who has ever been underestimated.

It will come from every girl who is watching this unfold, deciding whether or not Nigeria is a country where she can lead without being humiliated.

It will come from the global stage, where Nigeria’s already battered reputation on gender equality is now taking yet another hit.

Mfon Patrick, You Have Embarrassed More Than Just Yourself

You have embarrassed not just Natasha, but the very institution you serve.

You have embarrassed the Nigerian Senate, exposing it as an archaic boys’ club where women are still expected to be ornamental rather than influential.

You have embarrassed Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who now carries the weight of your words—because as his aide, your words are not just yours alone. They are now a reflection of his leadership, his Senate, and the culture he allows to thrive under his watch.

You have embarrassed the entire government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Because now, the world is watching.

Will Nigeria be the kind of country that allows men in power to degrade female leaders?

Will Tinubu’s government stand by while the few women in leadership are torn down—not for corruption, not for incompetence, but for simply existing too boldly?

Oh Mfon Patrick, you thought you were speaking only to Natasha.

But the entire world has now heard you.

A Cold Message to Every Aspiring Woman in Nigeria and Beyond

This is the message you sent to young Nigerian girls:

“You can work hard. You can study. You can achieve. But no matter how much you accomplish, we will always see you as your makeup and your clothes.”

This is the message you sent to professional women:

“Your degrees won’t protect you. Your achievements won’t matter. Because when you dare to challenge men in power, we will reduce you to your looks.”

This is the message you sent to female leaders across the globe:

“In Nigeria, no matter how high a woman rises, men in power will still try to humiliate her if she does not stay in her place.”

Oh Mfon Patrick, did you really think the world would not hear?

Mfon Patrick, You Picked the Wrong Woman to Demean

You thought you could throw those words at just any woman.

But Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is not just any woman.

She is a lawyer, trained to dissect words and fight for justice.

She is a human rights activist, who has spent her career defending those society tries to silence.

She is a wife and mother, who knows what it means to fight for dignity, to raise the next generation in a world that still tells women they are second-class.

She is a senator, a woman who made it into a male-dominated space where she was never expected to belong—and who refuses to be pushed out.

And now, she has taken your words beyond outrage—she has taken them to court.

N100 billion in damages.

Because words are not just words.

Because words have consequences.

Because words spoken by a man in power about a female senator are not “just jokes”—they are an attack, a calculated move to humiliate, weaken, and suppress.

Oh Mfon Patrick, You Thought You Could Say Those Words and Walk Away?

Now your words will be dissected in a court of law.

Now your words will be examined in the court of public opinion.

Now your words will be recorded in history as yet another example of how women in Nigerian politics are treated—not for their work, not for their contributions, but for daring to exist in a space where men feel they do not belong. Let it be clear that this writer, a psychologist, has no personal or official relationship with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Mfon Patrick, or any other party. My focus is solely on democracy, human rights, and equity. This is about a system where women are tolerated only when they remain silent and invisible, and now, your words will be judged—not just in Nigeria, but by the world.

Oh Mfon Patrick, you thought you were attacking just Natasha.

Instead, you have ignited something much bigger than you could have imagined.

This Will Not Be Forgotten.

The world is watching.

And history is recording.

John Egbeazien Oshodi

Oshodi Open Door, also known as Oshodi Open Door Public Training (OOPDT, pronounced opidt), is a public awareness initiative promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in Africa through educational articles and resources at jos5930458@aol.com, and offers specialized Timely Response Solutions (TRS) training at minimal or no cost.

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi is an American psychologist, educator, author specializing in forensic clinical psychology, cross-cultural psychology, police prison science, social justice. Born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, he is the son of a 37-year veteran of the Nigeria Police Force, a background that shaped his commitment to justice, security, psychological research.

A pioneer in forensic psychology, he introduced state-of-the-art forensic psychology to Nigeria in 2011 through the National Universities Commission (NUC) Nasarawa State University, where he served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. His contributions extend beyond academia into psychological health behavioral change initiatives through the Oshodi Foundation the Center for Psychological Forensic Services.

Professor Oshodi has held faculty positions at Florida Memorial University, Florida International University, Broward College, Nova Southeastern University, Lynn University. He is also a contributing faculty member in the doctoral undergraduate psychology programs at Walden University serves as a virtual professor with Weldios University and Iscom University.

Beyond academia, he is a government consultant for forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA previously served as Interim Associate Dean Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida.

He has published extensively on mental health, justice, institutional reform is the founder of the Psychoafricalysis theory, which integrates African sociocultural perspectives into psychology.

Professor Oshodi remains an influential force in advancing psychology institutional reform globally, particularly in Africa.