Abigail Wok Marshall Katung (born 7 December 1975) is a Nigerian-British politician and wife of the senator representing the Kaduna South senatorial district, Kaduna State, Nigeria, Sunday Marshall Katung. She was born and raised in Nigeria, but moved to the UK to study in the University of Leeds and as of January 2024 is a governor at the Leeds City College. In May 2024 she took up the position of Lord Mayor of Leeds,[2] becoming the first elected councillor from Africa to hold the council position,[3] the second black person after Eileen Taylor and the 130th of all.[4]
Career
In 2008, she founded the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) in memory of David Oluwale,[5] a Nigerian migrant to the UK who arrived Leeds in 1949, but got drowned in River Aire in 1969 with two British police officers held responsible for his death. In November 1971, the prosecution of those police officers made it the first and only time any prosecution for the death of a black person would be successfully carried out against state officials.[6] She is also a co-chair of DOMA.[5]
In May 2019 following the Leeds City Council elections, Katung won in the polls to emerge the Little London and Woodhouse Ward representative.[7]
As of 2020, she was a lead member for the BAME and a BAME staff network member champion in Leeds.[8]
In 2022, she co-chaired Leeds City Council's official ‘Food Champion’ alongside the CEO of FareShare Yorkshire, Gareth Batty MBE FRSA.[9] She was also present as a special guest at the Jordan Sinnott Memorial Award at St. Mary's, Meston.[10]
Katung is married to Nigerian lawyer and lawmaker, Sunday Marshall Katung. As of 2023, the couple have two 19 year-old twin sons whom, according to her, she chose to bring up in Leeds.[2]
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