Following the adoption of protecting the rights of same-sex people as part of US foreign policies, Thomas-Greenfield hinted that the states had vowed to continue mounting and sustaining pressure on Nigeria and other countries to reverse their laws against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) community.
Is to be recalled that the former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the anti gay bill, making gay relationships illegal in Nigeria. So far scores of couples have been arrested and prosecuted, leading gay communities around Africa to protest and plead US assistance.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, revealed this during a live-web chat with newsmen in Washington. According to the statement, she said: “As a government, it is one of the highest priorities and strongest values that discrimination against anyone based on their sexual orientation and gender identity is wrong. We believe human rights should be available to everybody.”
She, however, did not disclose if the US would impose sanctions on the countries with anti-gay laws to achieve its objectives but she did mention that “we are prepared to push this as a policy not just in Africa but across the world,” she further elaborated.
In a similar development, a Chairman of the Jonathan Presidential Campaign Organization in the 2011 election, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida (UK) has urged Britain to stop pressuring Nigeria to abrogate its laws on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT), saying that the move amounted to ‘stretching human rights to the very heart of culture pressure’.
We are yet to see how the Buhari led administration will handle this issue as he is relying heavily on foreign policies to solve Nigeria's problems. This, many believe will lead to certain compromises.We will watch and report to you as the story unfolds.
No comments:
Post a Comment