President Muhammadu Buhari, currently in the United States of America on a 4-day official visit, has categorically ruled out any chance of Nigerian being pressured by the America into legalising homosexuality in the country.
According to the Special Adviser to the President of Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the issue of gay rights came up during a discussion the president had on Tuesday.
Adesina, in a Twitter post, revealed that President Buhari outrightly rejected the idea citing legal and cultural reasons.
The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday. PMB was point blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) July 22, 2015
Talks shifted to another matter once PMB emphatically stated Nigeria's stand on same sex marriage. The issue was not pushed.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) July 22, 2015
Before he travelled to the Us on Sunday, Nigerians were apprehensive that President Buhari may be pressured into legalising homosexuality in Nigeria by the American president, Barack Obama. Their fears were heightened by the recent country-wide legalisation of homosexuality in America which Obama actively supported.
Homosexuality  was outlawed by the regime of Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria.
The Nigerian anti-gay law became effective on January 13, 2014. The law, 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 int May of 2013.
