Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, and these recent allegations have reignited vital conversations in Nigeria about subtle and often unrecognized forms of harassment in professional environments. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s story exemplifies a pervasive issue: harassment is frequently not a single shocking event, but rather a series of repeated behaviors that erode one’s dignity over time
Punished for Blowing the Whistle on Misconduct
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a lawyer and advocate, alleges that Senate President Godswill Akpabio used suggestive remarks and invitations to pressure her to perform personal favors in return for legislative support. Instead of addressing her claims directly, the Senate has instead shifted focus to chamber procedure, imposing a six-month suspension on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. This response is consistent with how women across Nigerian institutions tend to face stricter penalties than their male peers face for much more serious infractions and reveals a culture more inclined to protect power than confront misconduct.
Credit: Henty Orji, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Suffering from One Million Papercuts
Harm in workplaces often builds through small repeated slights and unwanted familiarity that erodes safety, dignity, and performance. This pattern is not limited to sexual harassment, racialized remarks about a person’s name or accent, jokes that dismiss LGBT identities, or ableist comments about how someone communicates or moves. This quiet harassment often feels trivial in isolation, but adds up over weeks and months with a careless joke here or an unwanted comment there to become a pattern. Finally, one such misbehavior will become the straw that breaks the camel’s back. These microaggressions predict emotional exhaustion and withdrawal over time, which undermines retention and advancement for the people who are targeted. Research links these accumulated slights with higher levels of stress, reduced focus, and lower performance, which is why an inclusive workplace treats them as real risks, not minor annoyances.
Minimizing People’s Experiences Protects Abusers
“Don’t take it to heart. Just ignore it,” is not a solution. This does not contribute to the creation of an inclusive environment, but rather entrenches exclusion instead. This advice shifts the burden to the person harmed and signals that inclusion in the workplace is only optional. Effective responses instead call out patterns of microaggressions and bias early, provide safe reporting routes for those suffering from such mistreatment, and follow through in ways that protect complainants while correcting misbehavior. That is the way organizations can move from only showing intent to making an impact and creating real inclusion.
Behind the headlines is a person navigating public service, family life, and a demanding legal career. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s experience is not unique. It is a reminder that subtle harassment inflicts real emotional and professional costs, and that inclusion requires more than slogans. It requires systems that recognize cumulative harm and make active steps to protect the vulnerable from continuing or future harm. Strong accountability and everyday allyship are key to countering the entrenched behaviors that keep institutions unsafe.
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