REPORT: GAY NIGERIANS FLOOD EMBASSIES
Nigeria’s new extreme anti-gay law appears to be leading to panic within the country’s LGBT community. It’s being claimed that some foreign embassies in Lagos are being flooded by desperate gay and lesbian Nigerians seeking asylum.
According to the CAJ News Agency, foreign embassies in the country’s largest city, particularly those of the US, UK, Canada and Germany, have been “inundated” by individuals fearing they will be targeted and jailed because of their sexuality.
The news agency said that while these governments had not officially commented on an increase in asylum requests, sources within the US and the UK embassies had confirmed there had been a spike in visa applications over the last week.
No country has yet stated if it will accept LGBT asylum seekers from Nigeria since the law came into effect.
Not only was it confirmed earlier this month that President Goodluck Jonathan had signed the federal anti-gay law, but January has also seen a huge crackdown on gay people in Nigeria’s northern Muslim states that operate under Sharia law.
There are now reports that as many as 68 people have been arrested on homosexuality charges in the country.
The new draconian legislation jails anyone who enters into a same-sex marriage or is in same-sex relationship and anyone who supports or does not report a gay person to the state; with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.
Gay sex was already illegal under federal law; with a 14 year prison sentence. In the Muslim northern states, convicted gay people can be stoned to death.
Absolute pandemonium.
It may be difficult for Nigeria to recognize that whilst it may agree that there is such a thing as “Human Rights”, the extent of those rights are not limited to people of a certain sexual orientation, sex, class or even religious denomination.
Rights are inalienable. No matter how each individual may feel about two men being together, the fact that they are HUMAN affords them the same protection, dignity and respect as others. Finish and klaar.
Goodluck Jonathan may argue that he signed this new law with overwhelming support from the majority of Nigerian people: That it reflects the will of the people etc.
But it can also b argued that the state, as over-arching guardian and parent, must do what is in the best interest of the country: Taking into consideration not only the rights of the majority , but also those of the minority. That is what constitute leadership.
The state is not meant to “parrot” the capricious notions of people; advocate the creation of laws that will make it possible for one citizen to take arms and eradicate another on the basis of “God’s will” or other supernatural claims that have no substantive basis other than aesthetics or “feelings”.
And the biggest irony of all of this is that , according to the huffington post, Nigeria is included on the top 5 list of most searches for gay porn. As the article states, this surge could be because people are curious as to what all the fuss is about? Or it could the case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing?