Tuesday 21 January 2014

Nigeria: Gay Relationship Is Taboo in Nigeria, Governor Uduaghan Insists


Photo: Irin

Gay couple holding hands.
The governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has defended the law forbidding same-sex marriage signed into law last week by President Goodluck Jonathan, likening such relationships to pedophilia.
Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult has sexual interest in children and hence a taboo.
Mr. Uduaghan, who spoke in Dublin, Ireland where he received an international award, said gay marriage would offend the cultural norms of Nigerians.
"I am sure no one here in this country would accept a condition in which an adult can sleep with a 10-year old girl," the governor said. "If that situation is not acceptable, we in Nigeria view gay marriage as such."
He assured his audience, which included Ireland's minister of trade and foreign investment, Joe Costello, that the new law was popular and that Nigerians accepted it.
Mr. Uduaghan explained that marriage in Nigeria was viewed as a union between families and that it would be a taboo if it was discovered that there were married gays in the families.
He said, "In Nigeria marriage between two people is usually between a man and a woman and not just between them but between their families too. Whenever a couple come together, they are not coming together by themselves, it almost involves their different families and if it is known that in that family there are married gays, the danger is that the taboo emanating from that might even affect others who are straight and that is not right."
The governor said that his marriage was made possible because both his family and that of his wife came together to endorse the marriage. He accused the international community of double standards, stating that he was surprised by their reactions.
"There was a public hearing by the National Assembly and we are not aware of their opposition to this bill," Mr. Uduaghan said. "What happened was that a lot of Nigerians appeared and made submission in favour of it. So it is a surprise that after the bill has been passed, we are now facing this opposition by the international community."
He asked whoever had interest in gay marriage to migrate to any country where it was acceptable.

No comments:

Post a Comment