Museveni and the anti-gay war
otherwise shall be void in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The law further affirmed that marriage between persons of the same sex are invalid and shall not be recognised in any court of law in Nigeria.
The bill also provided for the prohibition of registration of gay clubs and societies and publicity of same sex sexual relationship, and affirmed that: registration of gay clubs, societies and organisations by whatever name they are called in institutions, from secondary to the tertiary level or other institutions in particular and, in Nigeria generally, by government agencies, is hereby prohibited.
In what some of us consider as the most drastic aspect of the antigay law, the new law in Nigeria criminalises media reportage of gay sexual ceremonies. “Publicity, procession and public show of same sex amorous relationship through the electronic or print media physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise, are prohibited in Nigeria; and any person who is involved in the registration of gay clubs, societies and organisations, sustenance, procession or meetings, publicity and public show of same sex amorous relationship, directly or indirectly, in public and in private is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a term of 5 years imprisonment.”
The law also states that any person who performs, witnesses, aids or abets the same sex marriage is of an offence and liable on conviction to a five-year prison term.
The legislation states that jurisdiction for the trial of alleged offenders of the law banning same sex marriage lies with the High Courts in the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The new law in Uganda punishes firsttime offenders with 14 years in jail and allows life imprisonment as the penalty
for acts of “aggravated homosexuality”
The law has generated a lot of controversies, with some people condemning the action of the federal government, citing human rights. Before the bill became law, both the British and United States governments had threatened to deal diplomatically with Nigeria, saying it was draconian.
But the more the Western powers wielded the big stick or issued verbal threats against Nigeria over the anti-gay law, the more the Nigerian government got public support locally. Religious communities were the most vocal.
Having lost the battle on gay campaign in Nigeria, the Western powers moved their attention to Uganda, where the government was said to be working on a piece of legislation that would even be more punitive than the Nigerian version.
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, whose ascension to political power through rebellion in January 1986 was heavily aided by the United States government, came under unprecedented pressure from the US government not to sign the anti-gay law. President Barack Obama personally appealed to the Ugandan strongman to discard the anti-gay law, but the overwhelming public opinion of Ugandans favoured the law. So the president of Uganda indeed defied the Western powers and signed the anti-gay bill into law.
Reacting to comments and threats against the law, a Ugandan government spokesman said President Museveni wanted to assert Uganda’s “independence in the face of Western pressure.” In most African societies, homosexual acts are illegal.
The new law in Uganda punishes first-time offenders with 14 years in jail and allows life imprisonment as the penalty for acts of “aggravated homosexuality.”
“Homosexuality is just a bad behaviour that should not be allowed in our society,” MP David Bahati, one of the lawmakers that championed the new legislation reportedly told the media.
Like Nigeria, Uganda makes it extremely difficult for people to openly engage in homosexual activities.
Ridiculously, many groups are threatening to challenge the legal validity of the law, just as the Western powers may provide heavy financial support for these legal challenges.
Emmanuel Onwubiko is the head of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria. blogs@ www.huriwa.blogspot.org; www. huriwa.org.