Nigeria has again rebuffed the calls by some western nations to recognise same-sex marriage.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke (SAN), while addressing the Human Rights Council of the United Nations at the 17th Session of the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Switzerland, said Nigeria did not accept the recommendation on same-sex marriage because it was against the country’s national value.
He said Nigerians’ moral and religious obligation forbade same-sex marriage and that to accept the recommendation to legalise same-sex marriage would amount to staging a coup against the people.
According to him, recent polling data suggests that 92 per cent of Nigerians support the Anti-Same-sex Marriage Bill passed by the Senate.
He said: “The Marriage Act defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. Christianity and Islam are the major religions in Nigeria. Same-sex marriage is not in the culture of Nigerians.”
The AGF said sexual and gender minorities were not visible and there was no officially registered association of gays and lesbians.
Adoke said Nigeria had no policy of witch-hunting people based on their sexual orientation.
After his presentation, many countries including Norway, Canada and Czech Republic, ask Nigeria to protect the rights of same-sex people and to make sure that no legislation was passed to witch-hunt them
But Adoke said since 2009 when the Nigerian human rights situation was first reviewed, the country had recorded appreciable improvement in the promotion of human rights.
He said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had been strengthened to tackle human rights challenges in the country.
The minister also cited the passing into law of the Freedom of Information Act as a significant milestone in the promotion of people’s right to know.
Source: Thisday
