Wednesday, February 12,2014 • page 15
Nigeria’s intolerance of homosexuality disturbs human rights activists
Dalton Cox
International Corespondent
DUBLIN- Nigeria’s recently passed anti
gay laws are not something one would expect
to encounter outside areas of major media
coverage, nor would Dublin be the place one
would expect to encounter coverage of this le-
gistaltion.
Founded in 2000, Metro Erreann is Ire
land’s leading multicultural newspaper, cater
ing mainly to the diverse population of Dublin.
The Metro Eireann International Leadership
Award ceremony was held on Jan. 17. Notable
guests included Ireland’s Minister of State for
Trade and Development Joe Costello and Ni
geria Ambassador to Ireland Felix Pwol.
The 2013 award was presented to the Ni
gerian Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel
Eweta Uduaghan. Since becoming governor,
Uduaghan has initiated his three-point pro
gram of peace and security, human capital
development and infrastructural development,
the current success of which led to his recogni
tion by Metro Eireann.
Upon receiving the award, Uduaghan de
voted his acceptance speech to defending Ni
geria’s Same-Sex Prohibition Act, which had
been signed into law by Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan several days prior to the
event. In his speech, Uduaghan compared ho
mosexuality to pedophilia in an effort to relate
... . PHOTO COURTESY OF MOT CAMPUS
iTigerian President Goodluck Jonathan recently signed the Same-Sex Prohibition Act which forbids gay
marriage and makes homosexuality a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
the Nigerian law to a largely Western audience
and concluded by advising all homosexual
people in Nigeria to migrate to other countries
where same-sex relations are accepted.
The Same-Sex Prohibition Act, which was
signed into law on Jan. 7, not only forbids the
recognition of gay marriage in Nigeria but al-
sosentences anyone convicted of same-sex rela
tions to up to 14 years in prison. Those involved
“directly or indirectly” with a gay organization
or those who merely fail to notify law enforce
ment of other people’s homosexual conduct
could face up to 10 years in prison. Consequent
arrests have begun, and in the state of Bauchi,
major news sources are reporting police have
allegedly used torture on convicted gay men.
“Rarely have I seen a piece oflegislation that
in so few paragraphs directly violates so many
basic, universal human rights,”said United Na
tions Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pil-
lay in a statement.
Pillay said she hoped the Supreme Court of
Nigeria would soon review the constitutional
ity of the law.
“Rights to privacy and non-discrimination,
rights to freedom of expression, association
and assembly, rights to freedom from arbitrary
arrest and detention. This law undermines all
of them,” she said.
Indeed, the Western world seems to have
condemned Nigeria for the recent legislation,
fearing that the laws will not only limit free
dom of assembly but wiU also begin to deter
relief and education efforts regarding HIV/
AIDS. Other countries have not yet cut their
humanitarian funds to Nigeria.
A 2013 Pew Research report found that
Nigeria is the world’s least tolerant country of
homosexuality with approximately 98 percent
of the country’s population opposing society’s
acceptance of homosexuality.
Previously during the “Metro Eireann”
award ceremony, all other award recipients had
referenced initiatives towards same-sex rights,
presumably inciting Uduaghan’s speech. One
of these recipients was President of the Euro
pean Parliament’s Development Committee
Michael McGowan.
“We all want a planet where we live in
peace and security together,” McGowan said in ..
his speech. “It is not about irppienpe'h
w^e sometimes afrogantiy ‘European va
or even Afrlcaii.i^^hel.’These are universal Hu
man values.”
34
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Ntgeria is ranked last in a Pew report bh countries
tolerant of homosexuality.