Nigeria Tightens Anti-Gay Advocacy by Passing a Bill

Nigeria, a nation made up mostly of Christians and Muslims with an approximate number of 160 million citizens, passed a bill on Thursday, May 30, 2013 regarding anti-gay marriage. The said bill was discussed extensively in the country’s House of Representatives after the same content was already passed by the Senate in 2011. The bill is only waiting to be signed by President Goodluck Jonathan for it to become a law.

Controversial issue

The topic of gay marriage has always been a subject of many debates. Not all nations in the world recognize the rights of same-sex couples. Gay rights activists have fought their way through court hearings and against many forms of protest in order to uphold their rights as citizens. But despite the recent change in perspective in many countries, for some there is still a long way to go before equality is reached.

Unlike European countries that have recently paved the way for gay partners to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples, most of the countries in Africa view gay marriage as an offense. Among the nations that are staunchly opposed to recognize the right of gay couples to marriage is Nigeria.

The provisions of the bill

Lawmakers in Nigeria have exerted a lot of effort in institutionalizing the penalties pertinent to gay marriage violations. The provisions of the bill are very straightforward and clear about the limitations and sanctions concerning gay rights in the country.

The contents of the bill are very strict when it comes to incarceration of offenders. In one provision of the bill, a person or groups of persons who are registered to gay organizations and/or engaging in public display of affection shall be criminally charged with 14 years of imprisonment. Gay individuals who will insist on going for civil union or marriage shall also be considered as offenders and shall be imprisoned for 14 years as well.

Dismay and disappointment

Gay rights activist are very concerned about the provisions of the bill that has just been passed by lawmakers in Nigeria. Some view the bill as a hostile act towards gay people, stripping them of their inherent rights as citizens of the state. According to Rashidi Williams, head of Queers Alliance Rights, there is much fear now given the provisions of the newly passed legislation. He also pointed out that cruelty and violence towards gay people would only become more dominant since the law is taking only one side. Williams sees the bill as a constraint to the freedom of gay and lesbian citizens.

Others also expressed their dismay towards the bill. For human rights lawyer Jiti Ogunye, the passing of the anti-gay marriage bill was a pointless public stunt. Ogunye also noted that the said bill was not even an urgent issue that Nigeria should be dealing with. For the human rights lawyer, it was just a legislative exploit aiming to popularize certain members of the legislative body.

In the past years in Nigerian legislation, it was not the first time that such bill was proposed. Similar bills were presented to the legislative body since 2006 but this was the first time that the bill got the legislators’ attention.

Photo Credit: Anti LGBT Flag