President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected the gay marriage offer proposed by the United States of America.
The President is said to have argued that sodomy is against the law of Nigeria and abhorrent to our culture.
Femi Adesina, the spokesperson of the president, said that the issue of gay marriage was discussed during Buhari’s meeting in the US but he rejected the offer.
A post on Adeasina’s Twitter handle read: “The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday. President Muhammadu Buhari was point blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture.”
The spokesperson later clarified when exactly Buhari made the comment. Apparently it was not during his face-to-face meeting with President Obama:
The same sex marriage issue came up at the joint session of Senate and House Committees on Foreign Affairs, not in direct talks with Obama.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) July 22, 2015
Talks shifted to another matter once PMB emphatically stated Nigeria’s stand on same sex marriage. The issue was not pushed.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) July 22, 2015
It must be recalled that there were fears that the American Government would pressure Buhari into rethinking same-sex marriage as an option for Nigeria. Indeed so many groups within and outside Nigeria, came out to warn that the topic would be brought to the fore.
Nigeria is not the only African country that has taken a strong stance against gay marriage. Senegalese President also in a press conference during Obama’s visit had said ‘no’ to gay rights in his country.
However, it should be noted that Mozambique has just decriminalised its anti-gay law, while Uganda is also under pressure to reverse its anti-gay law.
The Nigerian government under the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill into law banning gay marriage with stringent punishments.
Homosexual acts are still a crime in 38 African countries.
