•Calls on Jonathan to sack Ashiru over declaration
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states
and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday called for
the sacking of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Olugbenga Ashiru,
who was reported to have said Nigeria would accept gay diplomats and
their “spouses” posted to the country.
CAN warned over the posting of gay diplomats to Nigeria, saying that any attempt to do that would be resisted.
Ashiru was reported to have said that Nigeria would accredit foreign
diplomats who are married to people of the same sex in spite of
Nigeria’s opposition on the issue.
The minister was quoted as saying
that “Nigeria is not against any country for legalising gay marriage,
but in our country, given our customs and traditions, as well as
religious beliefs, marriage as ordained by God is between a man and a
woman…
“But if we have diplomats with same sex spouses posted to
Nigeria, we have no choice but to accredit them accordingly because they
come from countries where such law is in place.” But,CAN’s Public
Relations in the 19 northern states and the FCT, Mr. Sunday Oibe, in a
statement described the position of the minister as hypocritical and
unacceptable.
CAN noted that both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria
have all agreed that gay marriage is against their religious and
cultural beliefs and therefore is acceptable, maintaining any nation
that sends a gay diplomat to Nigeria is violating the laws of the land
and it should be resisted.
According to him, for the minister to say
that government would accept gay diplomats in Nigeria amounts to
accepting gay marriage through the back door. He declared that
Christians would mobilise and chase out any gay diplomat sent into the
country.
The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn
to reports in the media credited to the minister of Foreign Affairs,
Olubenga Ashiru, where he said that Nigeria will accept foreign
diplomats who are gay.
“We are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to remove the minister because he is going against the wishes of Nigerians.
“To us, this is ridiculous and unacceptable and we are seriously
disturbed because for the first time, Nigerian Muslims and Christians
have agreed that they don’t subscribe to gay marriage.
“We want to
make it abundantly clear, be it America or Britain or any country that
sends a gay diplomat to Nigeria; we will mobilise to chase him out of
the country.”
Source: National Mirror
