Nigerians have continued to shower
encomiums on President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly over the
enactment of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013 in spite of the
outrage by some advanced countries.
On January 7, 2014, President
Jonathan assented to the bill, which criminalises homosexual partnership in the
country. The law became public on January 14 and it was greeted with outcry
from international community that sees the Act, as an infringement on the
fundamental rights of the gays, with some of them threatening to sanction the
country.
The signed bill stipulates a 14-year
jail term for the gays in Nigeria if they do not retrace their steps and
renounce such acts. It also says that any person, who operates or participates
in gay clubs, societies and organisations directly or indirectly will earn a
10-year imprisonment. Those who administer witness, abet or aid the
solemnisation of a same sex marriage also risk a 10-year jail term.
But Nigerians have thrown their
weight behind President Jonathan and the National Assembly on the anti-gay law.
This confirmed the comment of the Special Adviser to President Jonathan on
Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, during a live programme, Stream, on
Aljazeera English, last week Thursday. He described the Same Sex (prohibition)
Act as the wish of Nigerians.
While saying that President Jonathan
did not arbitrarily sign the bill into law, Abati explained that Nigerians were
carried along before it was passed into law by the National Assembly, adding
that the bill dated back to 2007.
“It is not as if the President just
woke up and just signed the bill into law. It is, in fact, a private member
bill and the gentleman who sponsored it has been going round defending it. When
he proposed the bill originally, it was supported by 25 other senators from
different political parties.
“The law itself went through the
normal procedures, in terms of hearing, in terms of receiving memoranda from
Nigerians. At the end of the day, the bill was supported by majority of Nigerians.
It is a law in which the people have expressed confidence. Inside Nigeria,
there is no controversy (over the law),” Abati stated.
In the same vein, Governor Emmanuel
Uduaghan of Delta State defended the anti-gay law when he was in Dublin,
Ireland, to receive an international award recently. He averred that the new
law was popular and that Nigerians accepted it.
He insisted that gay marriage would
offend the cultural norms of Nigerians and asked whoever had interest in gay
marriage to migrate to any country where it was acceptable.
He told the international audience,
which included Ireland’s Minister of Trade and Foreign Investment, Joe
Costello, that gay relationship was a taboo in Nigeria. Gay relationship,
according to him, could be likened to paedophilia, which is a psychiatric
disorder in which an adult has sexual interest in children and hence a taboo.
Uduaghan continued: “I am sure no
one here in this country (Ireland) would accept a condition in which an adult
can sleep with a 10-year old girl. If that situation is not acceptable, we in
Nigeria view gay marriage as such.”
Explaining the ecology of marriage
in Nigeria, the governor said: “In Nigeria, marriage between two people is
usually between a man and a woman and not just between them but between their
families too. Whenever a couple come together, they are not coming together by
themselves, it also involves their different families.
Also, the uncompromising stand of
the Federal Government on the anti-gay law in spite of criticisms from a
section of the international community has received the commendation of the
Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
Nigeria, he said, should stand firm
on its culture, tradition and morals as an independent country. He described
anti-gay law as a good omen for Nigeria. He said major religions in the country
and even the African tradition forbade homosexuality. “Signing the bill into
law by President Jonathan in spite of pressures from within and outside the country
should be commended by all and sundry.
“The church accepts people as they
are. We condemn homosexuality. Nigeria is an independent country and we do not
beg for food. We have every right to order our social life in any way we think
it should go. Our social life should not be organised on the basis of what
others think.
“On this note, I commend our
National Assembly and Mr. President for resisting all the pressures and
enacting a law against homosexuality.”
In a statement, the Prelate of the
Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Uche, commended the courage
and forthrightness of the National Assembly in passing the anti-gay bill and
President Jonathan for signing the bill into law.
He was happy that the country’s
leadership ignored the outcry against Nigeria by foreign interests that did not
want the bill to see the light of the day, as he declared gay marriage,
homosexuality or lesbianism as ungodly, unethical, iniquitous and un-African.
“As a sovereign nation, we have come
of age and should not tie Nigeria to the apron strings of any nation no matter
how powerful that nation may claim to be. This development is a plus to our
government and should be followed by other steps that will appeal to Nigerians.
President of the Pentecostal
Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev. (Dr.) Felix Omobude, in a statement in Benin,
commended President Jonathan for his courage in signing the law, prohibiting
same sex marriage and described the action as “historic, coming at a time when
humanity, by the encroachment of strange values is gravitating towards
godlessness.
“The Nigerian people celebrate
marriages between men and women. How can they now be told otherwise? To canvass
a marriage between two people of the same sex is strange to us. The National
Assembly did what is right and the President has done very well by assenting to
the hill. He would have upset the nation if he had done otherwise.”
While urging Nigerians to stand firm
with the President on the anti-gay law, Omobude appealed to the international
community to show a high level of understanding for Nigeria’s rich cultural
values.
National President of the National
Council of Muslim Youth Organisation (NACOMYO), Alhaji Kamal’ddin Akintunde, at
a forum in Abeokuta, Ogun State, condemned criticism of the anti-gay law by the
United States and the European Union, as he gave kudos to President Jonathan
and the National Assembly.
His words: “Nigerians are culturally
and religiously sensitive and will not tolerate anything that will undermine
their religious values. NACOMYO commends President Goodluck Jonathan for that
executive action. His action was courageous and in tandem with popular opinion
of Nigerians.
“Above all, it is against the
doctrines of Islam and Christianity, which majority of Nigerians belong to. How
can a man marry a man? The National Assembly has done the right thing and the
president did what is right by signing it into law.”
Similarly, the Nigerian Union of
Teachers (NUT), an umbrella body over all primary and secondary school teachers
in the country, has urged President Jonathan to ignore the pressure from the
Western world because he has done the needful. The commendation was given by
the NUT President, Michael Olukoya, after a solemn assembly of the union in
Abuja last week.
Sponsor of the Same Sex Marriage
(Prohibition) Bill, Senator Domingo Obende, representing Edo North Senatorial
District of Edo State in the National Assembly, was elated at the signing of
the bill. In a recent interview with Sahara TV’s Rudolf Okonkwo, Obende urged
all Nigerians and the West to accept the decision.
“I created this bill because I
thought that there was need to control this immoral behaviour that is being
passed to us from foreign countries. The culture of Africa is what makes Africa
unique. Why is the Western world crying? We are not giving judgment to gay
practitioners. We are saying here in Africa, we don’t want this,” he stated.
Nigeria is one of 83 countries that
have outlawed gay marriage. In Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Burundi, Morocco,
Senegal, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Botswana and 30 other countries have outlawed the
practice.
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