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Britain’s support for Nigeria comes at the price of revoking the anti-homosexual law

British Prime Minister, Theresa May, while addressing Nigeria and other Commonwealth leaders in London on Tuesday 17 April, declared that help from Britain for their countries could only be guaranteed once they dismantle their laws which are anti-homosexual rights. According to May, nobody should be discriminated against based on their sexual decisions.

The British Prime Minister stated that laws which criminalised and outlawed homosexuality were out-dated legislation and should be relaxed or abolished.

Obviously referring to Nigeria and other countries which had laws prohibiting and criminalizing same-sex marriages, May pledged that Britain would support any of the countries that were ready to revoke its anti-same-sex law.

“Recent years have brought welcome progress. The three nations that have most recently decriminalised same-sex relationships are all Commonwealth members, and since the heads of government last met the Commonwealth has agreed to accredit its first organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Yet there remains much to do. Nobody should face persecution or discrimination because of who they are or who they love. And the UK stands ready to support any Commonwealth member wanting to reform out-dated legislation that makes such discrimination possible.”

The Same-Sex Act which was signed into Law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in January 2014, forbids homosexuals from holding any meeting in the country, banning homosexual parties and clubs with up to 14 years imprisonment for violation of the law. This signing drew criticism from western countries including the United States and Britain.

British High Commission, reacting to the signing of the act, declared that it “infringes upon fundamental rights of expression and association which are guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and by international agreements to which Nigeria is a party.”

The British government in 2013 threatened to cut aid to African countries that violate the rights of homosexual citizens. However, British aid remained quite small in oil-rich Nigeria, one of the top crude suppliers to the US as at 2014.

African Countries in the Commonwealth that have anti-gay laws include Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi (enforcement of law suspended), Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.

Reactions

Reacting to the declaration of the British Prime Minister, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in 19 Northern states including Abuja, have called on the President to reject the proposal of the British government. The Association said that the country already had multifarious societal issues it needed to deal with.

Chairman of the regional CAN, Rev. Yakubu Pan, said the direction was an unnecessary diversion from more important issues in the country and must be shunned by the Nigerian government. He also pointed out that Africans have their way of life and can not suddenly change how they live to please the West and win favours before man.

Pan also called on Nigerians, especially Civil Society Organisations, to rise in opposition to another imperialistic recommendation not suitable for the country’s cultural environment, stressing that Nigerian youths were already inundated with drug-related challenges, which the nation was yet to pull out of.

On his part, President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Rev. Felix Omobude, said that western countries should learn to respect the values and laws of other countries. In his statement, he said that the Nigerians who elected President Buhari would not appreciate witnessing their President being dictated to.

Similarly, Administrative Secretary of the National Mosque, Umoru Ja’afaru, said the Abuja Muslim body would not pre-empt the President Muhammadu Buhari’s response to the British PM’s call.

He, however, expressed confidence that President, being a devout Muslim, would not cause to be set in motion actions for the repeal of the law banning same-sex marriage in Nigeria.

There is yet to be an officially released statement on the plans of the Federal Government in response to the matter.

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