By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

When the Senate or the House of Representatives moves into a closed door session, it is normally an opportunity to discuss their finances or other sensitive matters that they would not want members of the public to know. In some cases, a closed-door session would also be held to discuss communication or issues emanating from the executive branch of government; in which case, it is technically referred to as an executive session.

From left, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC National Leader; Senator Oluremi Tinubu and First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Whatever, issues discussed in a closed-door session are not supposed to be disclosed. At the end of such a session, when the doors are opened to the public, the presiding officer would summarise issues discussed in the closed-door session in some nebulous terms. When it has to do with the distribution of money for the lawmakers, the presiding officer would be wont to say “In the closed-door session the Senate discussed issues about the running of the Senate,” to which the senators would give their concurrence.

Agreement is easy to get because when it comes to money, legislators, rich or poor, APC or PDP, North or South rarely disagree as they are always on the same page when it comes to their welfare.

However, when issues of political interest are discussed, reporters almost always get to hear. A case in point was the closed-door session of last Tuesday when Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West was alleged to have used violent language and threatened Senator Oluremi Tinubu, APC, Lagos Central. Senator Melaye’s alleged belligerent conduct towards the female senator again brought to light the pressure and pains female senators face in the male-dominated Senate.

Male senators including presiding officers have been known to use coarse language on female senators. A very common instance is when a female senator would want to present a report and is expected to move forward and bow to the presiding officer and lay the report on the table in front of the presiding officer. Raunchy male senators have been heard to tell the female senator to ‘lay on the table’ and sometimes compelled the female senators to bow in such a way as to display the female anatomy. However, in the past, one or two female senators have been known to attract attention to themselves on account of their dressing.

Senator Melaye’s alleged conduct has expectedly drawn severe reactions. He was not just disrespectful of his female colleague, but even of her husband who was himself a senator before Melaye started learning the basics of student activism. Another female senator that saw hell in the eyes of male senators was Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, who on account of her inclination to President Olusegun Obasanjo was hounded and harassed by the Anyim Senate in its latter days within the Senate chambers.

One female senator that saw her agony outside the chamber was Senator Iyabo Asinulowo, chairman of the Senate Committee on States and Local Government. Senator Anisulowo was not your everyday friendly politician but when on Friday, October 15, 2004, she got a slap from Senator Isa Mohammed, her Vice-Chairman, it stoked pity even in the camp of her detractors. As with many altercations in the Senate, the issue between Anisulowo and Mohammed had to do with money, or rather disproportionate sharing of the committee funds.

Women progressing elsewhere

The poor lot of the female gender in contemporary Nigeria is, however, not universal. The enthronement of Mrs. Theresa May, as the Head of Her Majesty’s Government in Great Britain, may have further consolidated the strong position of women in that country and indeed, Europe. She brings good company to one of Europe’s strongest politicians, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. Mrs. May according to close friends, had from a young age desired the office of prime minister and certainly worked towards it. However, when the job by happenstance came her way after some fumble by some of her serious rivals last Monday, it was for sure a welcome surprise.

Within two days of being named the new leader of the Conservative Party, Mrs. May was swift to form a government, shocking many with her designation of the irreverent Boris Johnson as her foreign secretary. What is impressive about her action and indeed, the British system is the swiftness with which a government is formed. In these shores, it has taken administration officials months and sometimes years to assemble a cabinet. The Oyo State Governor, to the shock of some, only assembled a cabinet less than a month ago.