President Muhammadu Buhari
The
Presidency on Wednesday admitted that the issue of gay marriage came up
during President Muhammadu Buhari’s four-day official visit to the
United States.
It said the President, however, rejected the idea “point-blank.”
The Special Adviser to the President on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this on his Twitter
handle on Wednesday.
Adesina said the issue of gay marriage
was raised in one of the meetings that the President attended in
Washington DC on Tuesday.
He, however, refused to disclose the specific meeting attended by the President where the issue was raised.
The presidential spokesman said when the
issue came up, Buhari made it clear that sodomy is against the law of
Nigeria and abhorrent to the country’s culture.
“The issue of gay marriage came up here
yesterday (Tuesday). PMB (President Buhari) was point-blank. Sodomy is
against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture,” Adesina
posted on his Twitter handle.
Among the meetings attended by Buhari on
Tuesday were the ones he had with the US Secretary of State, John Kerry,
and the Nigerians resident in the US.
The fear among stakeholders ahead of Buhari’s US trip was that he could succumb to the US authorities’ pressure on gay rights.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan had in January 13, 2014 signed the anti-gay marriage bill into law.
The law prohibits gay marriage and same-sex relationships and prescribes a 14-year prison term for offenders.
Jonathan had defied western governments’ pressure urging Nigeria to respect gay and lesbian rights.
The law, which also proscribes membership
of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly in May 2013
but Jonathan had delayed signing it into law.
Two similar bills have been proposed since 2006 but failed to make it through parliament.
“Persons who enter into a same-sex
marriage contract or civil union commit an offence and are each liable,
on conviction, to a term of 14-year in prison.
“Any person who registers, operates or
participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or directly or
indirectly makes public show of same-sex amorous relationship in Nigeria
commits an offence and shall each be liable on conviction to a term of
10 years in prison,” the law states.
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