Anti-gay law: CAN hails Presidency, N’Assembly, berates rights groups

                                          
The Christian Association of Nigeria has commended President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Assembly
and all well-meaning Nigerians who have contributed to the signing of the bill outlawing “the immoral culture of same sex marriage in Nigeria.”
The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in a statement obtained by THE PUNCH on Thursday in Abuja however told the human rights groups to exercise restraint in their campaigns against the passage of the anti-gay marriage law.


He said, “We in CAN appreciate the troubles taken to ensure that the process for such a law was followed before Mr. President appended his signature. In the circumstance, we call on all those talking about human rights and international conventions to remember that there is always a limit to certain rights and that those who go out of their ways to overstep the limits now know the consequences of their actions.
“Human rights without limit are recipes for the destruction of any society. The culture and morality of a people must be taken into cognizance because it is important to remember that culture and morality are intricately linked with each other. By the beliefs of most Nigerians, same sex marriage is offensive to us as a people.

“While we love all human beings created by God, we also believe that human beings must have restraint and consciousness about their emotions and thoughts. We also appeal to those who are choosing their interests above others to allow individual countries to develop according to their cultures and moral worth or importance”.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, had expressed deep concern over the law which criminalises same-sex relationships, warning that it could fuel prejudice and violence and risks obstructing an effective HIV/AIDS response.
The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly last May and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.
“The Secretary-General fears that the law may fuel prejudice and violence, and notes with alarm reports that police in northern Nigeria have arrested individuals believed by the authorities to be homosexuals, and may even have tortured them,” Ki-Moon’s media office said.
Already, anti-gay sentiment and persecution of homosexuals is rife in Nigeria, and so the new legislation is likely to be popular because many African countries are seeking to tighten laws against homosexuality.
Under existing Nigerian federal law, sodomy is punishable by jail, but this bill legislates for a much broader crackdown on homosexuals and lesbians, who already live a largely underground existence.