Sixteen-year-old Nadia Zakaria, daughter of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has completed and formally handed over a newly constructed orphanage facility to the Etahi Community in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The Oyiza-Salem Divine Orphanage Home was officially commissioned on Saturday following completion and full furnishing of the structure.
The event drew substantial attendance from community members, religious figures and the children the facility will serve.
Nadia conceived the project at age fifteen, driven by a desire to create opportunities for children lacking access to resources many others take for granted.
She reflected that growing up with strong family support prompted her to consider the needs of other young people, questioning whether they similarly deserved to experience safety, love and proper care.
Recognising the challenge of securing funds as a fifteen-year-old, Nadia reached out to family members, friends and community supporters to raise the necessary resources for construction and full furnishing of all rooms.
Nadia encouraged her peers to pursue philanthropic aspirations without allowing age or financial limitations to serve as deterrents.
She emphasised that meaningful impact requires genuine concern rather than advanced age, wealth or influence.
Addressing the beneficiary children, she expressed hope that the facility would provide them a secure environment where they would feel valued and supported in pursuing their aspirations.
Senator Natasha publicly clarified that she had not financed the initiative, stating her daughter had independently raised the funds.
She noted that Nadia was already developing plans for a subsequent project a residential care facility for expectant mothers throughout Kogi Central.
The senator framed her daughter’s achievement as exemplifying the potential young people possess when driven by compassionate motivation.
Reverend Kisito Adomu Zuberu, the orphanage’s founder, described the facility’s condition prior to the project’s completion, recalling that children had lacked proper sleeping arrangements.
He highlighted the orphanage’s track record of supporting children despite resource constraints, noting that current beneficiaries include two university students, one nursing school student, a university graduate awaiting national service placement, eight primary school pupils and two apprentices acquiring vocational skills.
Community leadership and the orphanage’s children expressed gratitude, characterising the initiative as a transformative demonstration of compassion and love.
They emphasised that the structure represented far more than physical shelter, functioning as a source of hope, security and dignity for beneficiaries.
Event participants widely described the youth-led undertaking as among the most inspiring charitable projects recently undertaken in Kogi State.
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