Nigeria Content Online

More than a
thousand women yesterday stormed the National Assembly to call for the
reinstatement of the female federal lawmaker who was physically
attacked during last week’s fighting at the House of Representatives.

The women, who
staged a protest at the Assembly, condemned the treatment of Doris
Uboh, the representative of Ika federal constituency of Delta State,
who was roughened up last Tuesday by her male colleagues and guards
during a violent session where lawmakers openly jabbed each other and
exchanged diatribes.

Ms. Uboh and 10
other members of a House group, nicknamed Progressives, were attacked
and later suspended from the chamber for leading calls for the removal
of the speaker, Dimeji Bankole, on allegations of corruption.

In a bizarre
episode that clearly discountenanced the touchy question of gender
violence and discrimination, she was dragged out of the chamber by a
number of male colleagues and guards, ripping some of her wears in the
process. She was later hospitalised due to an ear injury she sustained
in the incident.

The women group,
comprising of market women and groups from the Ika constituency,
flooded a part of the National Assembly yesterday, dressed in multi
coloured wears that bore inscriptions denouncing the violence and
calling for Mr. Bankole’s probe.

“Bankole, what
happened to the N9bn capital vote,” one T-shirt read, while another
said “EFCC must probe Bankole!” The calls re-echoed the demands of the
‘progressive’ group of lawmakers in the chamber, which is led by Dino
Melaye and received the support of Ms. Uboh, the only female member of
the chamber to openly do so.

The group canvassed
for two weeks, accusing Mr. Bankole of misusing the House 2009 capital
vote of N9 billion and asking for his removal.

At the chamber’s
resumption, where the issue was to be discussed officially, members of
the group were physically attacked by members loyal to the speaker, and
were later suspended for the rest of the year.

“For one year, it
means there will be no one to represent Ika in the House of Reps,” said
Nwadimeje John, who led a delegation of supporters from Delta State.
“We are asking the National Assembly to rescind that decision.”

Reversal of suspension

Members of the
Abuja Market Women Association, who led the protest and were barred
from the main complex of the National Assembly, asked for more than a
reversal of the suspension order.

“We want to see
Dimeji Bankole, if we cannot see him, let us see (Senate President)
David Mark. We want to talk with them,” said Felicia Sanni, the group’s
president general.

The group condemned
the violent acts that led to Ms. Uboh being hospitalised, asked for her
re-instatement, and also demanded investigations into the allegations
raised by the Rep group.

“The entire
Nigerian women were ashamed and surprised that this type of treatment
was meted on a woman by her male colleagues,” Mrs. Sanni said.

For hours, they remained and were stopped from gaining access to the main Assembly complex.

The chairperson, House committee on Women Affairs, Binta Garba, told
journalists later she was “advised” not to receive the protesting
women, and said the House has not been served any letter of the protest.