The United Nations, yesterday, said it would not relent on its effort to persuade Nigeria to repeal the law that criminalised same sex marriage in the country, even as it adduced reasons why it would not in the meantime, impose any sanction on the nation.
Addressing a press conference at the end of her four days working visit to Nigeria, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, while advocating for adequate protection of the rights of lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgender, LGBT, yesterday, described the same sex marriage law as "draconian and illegal", saying "the law already appears to be having other dangerous side effects."
Pillay, who was in the country to appraise human right situations, said the UN would forthwith hold the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, accountable to his assurances that the same sex marriage law was not in any way intended to criminalise individual sexual orientations.
According to the South African born UN Chief, "In the twenty years since the office of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights was created, this is the first time any High Commissioner has visited Nigeria. I am grateful to the government for inviting me."
"This is a very important country, with easily the largest population in Africa, big ambitions and huge potential. On the international level, Nigeria has been playing an increasingly significant role in the Human Rights Council in Geneva and is currently a member of the Security Council. It can, and I believe should, play an even more significant role on the international stage in the years to come, and its embrace of human rights will be a major element in deciding its future course both internally and internationally.
"One of the groups living in fear is Nigeria's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The new law known as the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition Act) goes far beyond prohibiting same sex marriage- which was illegal anyway.
"The law violates international law in that it is discriminatory and seriously impinges on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and could lead to human rights defenders advocating for the rights of LGBT people receiving draconian prison sentences.
"There is also concern among medical specialists that it will have serious negative consequences for public health in Nigeria, by driving LGBT persons underground and deterring them from signing up for HIV educational programmes, prevention, treatment and care services. Given that Nigeria currently has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world, this would be a heavy blow to the efforts to combat HIV.
"The law already appears to be having other dangerous side effects, even before it comes into force, with my office receiving reports of widespread arrests of LGBT people in some states, some physical attacks, including by mobs, and other forms of harassment such as a rise in blackmail and extortion. It is for these reasons, among others, that this law has aroused such controversy on the international level.
"As someone who grew up in South Africa under apartheid, and was discriminated against both because of my colour and my gender, I am acutely aware of the terrible effects of discrimination and intolerance.
"The UN Secretary General had roundly condemned the same sex marriage Act because we believe that it contravenes international laws and the African Union Charter which Nigeria signed to.
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We can only allow them if the western world adopts polygamy, period.
ReplyDeleteanti polygamy laws in Europe and america also violates the rights of those men and women who wants to be polygamous. polygamy is a sexual orientation also and it must be allowed in the west if same sex must be allowed in Africa. period!
ReplyDeleteIt is funny the way this same sex advocates are taking it. Will they FORCE countries to accept what they don't want? Where is the freedom? Animals are not even gay, why humans? LGBT or whatever they call it was considered a psychological problem in those days but some rich people were able to turn the table for Governments to start accepting it as 'normal' but it is not! GOD created Adam and Eve not Adam and Adam. The muslim and Christian religion do not have room for LGBT anywhere in the World. The advocates should not force the rubbish on us. A people must decide their own fate.
ReplyDeleteMajorB
u western folks need psychiatric care. if Cain and Abel have been guy. what will have happened to the human race after the death of Adam and Eve? Alika
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1&2, i tank una oo, dont mind dos “IDIOTS“ wei tink sey dem sabi law. What an “ANIMALS“,HUMAN RIGHT OR HUMAN DESTROYER?
ReplyDeleteOYIBO PEOPLE MAKE UNA LIVE NAIJA PEOPLE ALONE.WE SAY WE NO GO PRACTICE MAN TO MAN/WOMAN TO WOMAN SEX/MARRIAGE.NAIJA PEOPLE SAY NO,NOBY BY FORCE NAH.
ReplyDeleteNna, dis thing taya person oh. If we don't want, we DONT want. Adam & Eve no be d same as Adam & Steve. They have a hidden agenda, and its Satan trying to destabilize the world from normal to get back at God. Kpom!
ReplyDeleteMuch of the debate over same sex marriage centers on one's belief of whether homosexuality is a sin. If homosexuality is a sin, and marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman, then the faithful can be tolerant of a sin but they cannot support it.
ReplyDeleteNone of the major Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, or Islam) support homosexuality or gay marriage. The Judeo-Christian belief that homosexuality is a sin is based on the relatively few scriptures that can be found in the Old and New Testament of the Bible. Interpretation of the scripture varies between liberal and conservative scholars. For example many people interpret the word "sodomite" in scripture to mean homosexual rather than a resident of Sodom — even though there was no word for homosexual or homosexuality in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
If you are going to stake your opinion on gay marriage based on what the Bible says about homosexuality it would be a good idea to have read the scripture. Here is a list of the twelve scriptures on homosexuality that can be found in the Bible.
1. Genesis 19:5: "And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them."
2. Leviticus 18:22: " Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
3. Leviticus 20:13: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them
have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
4. Deuteronomy 23:17: " There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel."
5. Judges 19:22: "Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him."
6. 1 Kings 14:24: "And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel."
7. 1 Kings 15:12: "And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made."
8. 1 Kings 22:46: "And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land."
9. 2 Kings 23:7: "And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove."
10. Romans 1:26-27: "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."
11. 1 Corinthian 6:9: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind."
12. 1 Timothy 1:9:10: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;" NIGERIAN STILL SAYS NO TO GAY MARRIAGE. WE STAND BY THE WORD OF GOD !!!