We met in his study. And because he likes accusing me of abandoning the Senate, I decided to be on the offensive. Surrounding the massive table are books of different shapes, volumes and disciplines. Some sections are devoted to biographies, others to politics, law and lawmaking across the world; another section parades copies on issues bordering on the emerging climatic problems. The study, located downstairs also doubles as the office. I tried to find out what time he has to read those books, he simply smiled; "well, since I am not taking exams on any of them, I just read them whenever possible." Welcome to the world of Victor Ndoma-Egba, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Deputy Senate Leader.

The meeting was supposed to be a brief, friendly interaction; nothing formal. But somehow, I observed a story hole and decided to pursue it. So I asked a straight one: "tell me something about how you made your first one million naira". He fired back with a ready-made answer: "how can I talk about my first one million naira when I am still struggling to make a few thousands?" "You can tell that to the marines," I replied. We both laughed and went ahead to discuss other issues.

A few minutes later, I switched to an issue I know Ndoma-Egba would be quite interested in. And that is the Legislature. In addition to his excellent grasp of issues bordering on international politics, Ndoma-Egba is an emerging authority on the complexities of Senate procedures and legislative politics. Born 52 years ago at Ikom, Cross River State, this son of retired judge is also a father to an emerging lawyer, Hugo, and the hilariously rattling Vara, who will soon be three. His wife, Amaka, runs the high- profile Start-Right Kids' School. It's a compact family.

In 2003, he abandoned his lucrative law practice to become a lawmaker. I asked him if he was missing the court, "Yes," he answered enthusiastically. "You know you spent 26 continuous years more or less in the court rooms and that has become more or less, home and very familiar environment for 26 years are not 26 days. It becomes part of your life. And 5 - 6 years going as a senator is still a very far cry from the 26 years that I stayed in the legal profession. And don't forget that it was legal practice that gave me recognition. So, yes, there are times I actually sneaked into a court room then I realised I was in full- time employment and I decided to respect myself."

But I thought he was not missing much since the Senate where he has an authoritative presence is like the court: things move pretty slowly. At this point, I knew I had just started a fight I might not win. Ndoma-Egba took over completely. He has just been pushed to a familiar terrain. He is a disciple of veteran US senator, Robert Byrd, who once said that to be an effective leader, one ought to know the rules and precedents and understand how to use them.

But doesn't this slow pace of events contrast with his views before coming to the Senate? He lectured, "You know that in parliament, processes and procedures are more critical than outcomes. The parliament is a very formal institution, not to talk of the Senate." His argument reminded me of William White, a journalist who once said that while "the House marches, the Senate thinks, and sometimes overlong." It also confirmed President Washington's answer to Thomas Jefferson that Senate was created to cool the tempers arising from the heat from the House.

"The Senate is governed critically by two factors: formality and deliberateness," Ndoma-Egba explained. He said the Senate historically, was conceived as a very deliberate body because the essence of the Senate is to stabilise the polity in times of trial. "So, the Senate gets very deliberate, it doesn't become part of the problem. So, I haven't changed my views about what the Senate should be. I am not surprised by the seeming delay because the law- making process itself is a very formal process and it takes time when you are going to legislate for every body and for all time.

"You know that in a democracy, first of all, it is the parliament that defines the part of every community; whether it is an autocratic government or a democratic government. Now, the parliament offers an opportunity for virtually every shade of opinion and for every insight to come into being. Now, the executive arm, for instance, is limited by its perspective. It is usually limited by the vision of the Commander-In-Chief but the National Assembly has no such limitation. An issue is brought to the table; I see it by my own perspective or am guided by my experience or the expectations of the people I represent. And so do you. So, the parliament offers the best opportunity for every shade of opinion on any issue."

It was his opinion that the Senate was not created to act in urgency, which does not also imply that the Senate must remain stagnant in decision making. Ndoma-Egba said although the Senate in times of emergency usually stands up to provide leadership with unprecedented speed, "It is not in the nature of the Senate. It is like expecting a car to fly. It is not just in the nature of the Senate. The Senate was conceived as a deliberate body". But does that imply slowing down the process of governance? "If slowing down the process increases the likelihood of things being done right, then there is nothing wrong with that. I am sure you have heard the saying, 'make haste slowly.'" A black senator has just won a presidential election in the United States; this has been described as a non-violent revolution, what does that mean in a general sense? Ndoma-Egba demonstrated that he was still pretty much on a familiar terrain, "First of all, I think that it is liberation more or less. It is the end-point of a journey that started with the abolition of slavery. It is a long hard-won fight, so it is a significant point in that journey. But it comes with its burden; that is the burden of expectations.

"Being the first black president, the whole world is interested in seeing how he performs. Secondly, that burden of expectation is heightened by the worldwide sense of expectation; the whole world was waiting for Obama as it were; and now he is there. When you have unanimity in expectations, you have heightened burden on your shoulders. Then the black American believes that he has now achieved that equality that he has always fought for. So it is a very historic event in the world's history. If McCain had won, it would have been a run-of-the-mill thing; it would have been a normal thing. But an Obama victory is exceptional."

Among the four candidates in the election (including the running mates) three were serving senators while one was a state governor. I asked Ndoma-Egba why it has become common in Nigeria for senators to leave the Senate and seek election as state governors instead of as the president of the country. "It has to do with the state of our democratic development. Don't forget that you are comparing a nine-year-old democracy to a 232-year-old democracy. Secondly, you should even look at history of the U.S. Presidency in terms the number of governors and senators who have been president...The implication is that the Senate is a veritable ground for sourcing presidential material and that means that senators must begin to see themselves as possibilities for presidential office.

"Now to your question, how come senators prefer to go for governorship? My simple answer is our level of development. I want to believe that with time, that will change because in the U.S., people move from being governors to senators, hardly ever the reverse. But I want to believe that at some point in their history, this also happened." So if he had his way, would he ask senators not to contest for governorship? "It's not that straight forward because everything is determined by the dynamics in your constituency. So, it is difficult to advise generally. After all, we have the French President who became a councillor after he left office. In Nigeria today, we have a deputy governor who served for eight years, now serving as councillor. The important thing is that whatever experience you have gathered shouldn't be lost." He did not however mention the Old Man Eloquent, John Quincy Adams, who was a senator before becoming the President of the United States of America. But at 63 in 1830 when Adams left the presidency having been defeated at the re-election, he contested and won election to the House of Representatives where he spent the remaining 18 years of his life. "I don't think it is abnormal," Ndoma-Egba said. "The nature of the Legislature is such that every speck of experience is used because we are a limited number of people who are supposed to understand and appreciate the problems of every body. So somebody who comes with presidential background, the person will be coming with a whole lot of experience that could be used."

With this, we went ahead to discuss the high turnover in the Senate, Cross River politics and whether the National Assembly would still review the constitution. It was worthwhile interaction.