It is a happy moment for Senator Grace Bent. She registered her name as a trailblazer in Nigerian politics after she represented Adamawa South Senatorial district in the 6th Senate.
She and her husband, Otunba Jackson Bent, have been installed as “Yeye Aare Arimuyanga and Aare Amuyangan of Oka Akoko respectively, during the celebration of Igoke Agba by the highly revered 79-year-old monarch, Oba Dr. Yusuf Adeleye.
Apart from being a socialite, her impressive portfolio also includes serving as Coordinator of the Stakeholders (Special Duties) Directorate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
Fondly called “GOGGO” by her admirers and the people of Adamawa state, especially her constituency, she is a detribalized Nigerian who demonstrated a high sense of commitment to doing good for the people while in the red chamber of the National Assembly.
In 2007, Senator Bent made history when she defeated many of her opponents in the senatorial election to represent Adamawa South, the largest senatorial district in the state, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
With this, she became the first female senator in the North-east geopolitical region of Nigeria and also the first female senator based on marital affiliation to be elected into the Senate from northern Nigeria (her husband Jackson Bent is an indigene of Adamawa State) and she is the first Nigerian to systematically analyse inter-ethnic marriages in her ground-breaking book, ‘Inter-Ethnic Marriages In Nigeria: Beacon Of National Unity.’
Leadership is not only based on merit and competence, but it also takes into account symbolic impact. In diplomatic circles, there is a high sense of meritocracy where individual achievement is valued. As such, her achievements were valued by President Tinubu following her nomination as an ambassador.
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