By Emeka Nze
National Conference nearly erupted into confusion yesterday but for the timely intervention of the deputy chairman, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi who sensing the uproar the observation was about to generate announced to delegates to proceed on break even before the 2pm break time.
Trouble started when the Secretary of the Conference, Dr Valerie Azinge took to presiding over the conference because the presiding Deputy Chairman, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi stepped out. When he came back to the table, he asked the delegates whether they preferred the soothing voice of a female presiding officer and they chorused in affirmative.
But as plenary progressed with the woman presiding, a northern delegate and former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Mrs Amuna Lawal Ali, called the conference to order.
Quoting order 6, rule 7 of the conference procedures, she said it was not proper for the Secretary, Dr Valerie Azinge to preside over the conference while the chairman and his deputy looked on.
In the word of Mrs Amuna Lawal, “I do recognise the fact that when the Deputy Chairman came in, he did ask whether the soft and soothing voice of the lady was preferred, and there was unanimous ‘yes,’ but that was outside our rules of proceedings. In a situation where…, I am a woman, both the chairman and the secretary are seated, it is abnormal for the secretary to preside over the meeting unless you want to change the rules, then you can do so. Secondly, we are not here to hear the soothing voice of a woman; we are here to do serious business,” she said.
The fire ignited by Mrs Ali raged throughout break time as women especially from the South stoutly rose against the female delegate whose outburst challenged a fellow woman for doing what they described as “a good job of presiding over the conference.”
Some of the women whose ire was drawn by the outburst were mainly delegates from the Market Women led by Mrs Felicia Sani and those at the forefront of gender activism led by Iyom Josephine Anenih.
They argued that if the Secretary of the Conference needed to be challenged it should not have come from the female folk which they said had given credence to the statement that “the worst enemy of the woman is her fellow woman.”
They further argued that if the chairman could be seated while the deputy presided which was often the case, there was nothing wrong in the secretary presiding while both chairman and deputy were seated.
Those in favour of Mrs Lawal Ali argued that she was correct in raising the objection saying that her observation was devoid of any form of sentiments.
No mention was made of the matter when the conference reconvened at 4pm, as Prof Akinyemi resumed his work of presiding over the conference.