GIWA: America Tactically Romancing Nigerian Government Over Gay Rights

What is your view on the US Supreme Court judgment on same-sex marriage?
FROM what we have seen so far and the general response particularly as the United States’ Supreme Court has conferred rights, privileges and recognition to same-sex marriage and this was as a result of the 14th amendment to the Constitution of United States of America. Before this ruling, marriage under the US constitution is limited to union between a man and a woman.

But the 14th amendment extends marriage to include union between a men or women of the same sex. So, the 14th amendment now legally empowers the states to allow marriage between same-sex.

Principally, the issues that were brought before the Supreme Court for determination were: firstly, whether the states can disband same-sex marriage? Secondly, whether the states have power not to recognise a legally consented same-sex marriage, or a legally conducted same-sex marriage? For example, if a state in the US does not permit same-sex marriage say, New Jersey, can anyone having contracted same sex marriage with his or her partner be denied their rights and privileges on the ground that another state, say Alabama, does not recognise same sex marriage? Those were the two issues that were presented to the Supreme Court for determination. The Supreme Court in the affirmative held that following the 14th amendment of the US Constitution, a state cannot ban same sex marriage. Secondly, it held that states should recognise same sex marriage contracted outside their states, which means same sex marriage, should be giving the same rights as the conventional marriage. So, based on this decision, the US, as a country, has fully legalised same sex marriage. 

What are the implications with regard to US relationships with other countries, especially in Africa? 
President Barak Obama placed a call to the lead plaintiff in the case, Jim Obergefell, immediately after the verdict was delivered to congratulate him on the victory. Obergefell was the person who took the case to the Supreme Court among other nineteen petitioners. He was married to late John Arthur. Both of them got married in 2012. Obergefell wanted to be recognised in the man’s death certificate as the wife of Arthur, but he was refused on the ground that same-sex marriage was not recognised in that state. So, that was what precipitated the appeal to Supreme Court after other lower courts decisions. 

Now, Obama called this man and congratulated him. That is to tell you the position of the US president on this matter. What it means is that president Obama gave his full support to the gay right activists all the way and he has been supporting gay marriage. What does it portend for us, in Nigeria and Africa? The US has had a strong relationship with many countries, including African countries and Nigeria in particular. 

What America does is to push her policies to the countries they have relationship with. Especially, those countries they want to provide with some assistance. Whether financial or security assistance or other forms of assistance.  So, one of the things they do is to ensure that you adopt their own policy especially their support for gay marriage, which they have taken very seriously. So, one of the policies America will be pursuing will be to ensure that Nigeria buys the gay marriage idea. That is going to be dangerous for us because British Prime Minister, David Cameron supports gay marriage and if you look at the issue few months back, they wanted to push gay rights to Nigeria, which was vehemently opposed even in our National Assembly. As it is right now in Nigeria the issue of gay marriage is criminalised. American government may tactically be romancing Nigerian government with a view of ensuring that we adopt that same policy or we recognise the rights of gays and lesbians.

Do you see African countries, and indeed the Nigeria government, bowing to the pressure? 
One thing we must know is that Africans have their cultures and values that is quite different from Europeans and Americans and so there is no way we can be forced to adopt the values and cultures of other continents like Europe and America. 

However, we have seen a kind of influence made by these countries because of their financial support to some of the developing countries, but in Nigeria our constitution does not support that. And in the African Union Charter on Human and People’s Rights, otherwise known as the Banju’s charter, our culture and values are fully protected and respected. This regional instrument gives us power to say this is our culture and this is our value. 

And our value and culture do not support same sex marriage. So, whether Nigeria will reverse its stance on gay rights or not is not a function of what the President wants, rather it is a function of what Nigerians want and the wish of the people is supreme. The Constitution encapsulates the wishes of the people and not the wishes of the President or any key member of the government.

So, I believe that Nigerian people will resist any means to encourage us to adopt same-sex marriage. It negates our culture and values in Africa and in Nigeria in particular.