The
Federal Government on Friday reinforced its stand on death penalty and
same sex marriage, saying it will not be deterred by pressures from the
United Nations.
Nigeria had retained the death sentence for some specific offences and also prohibited same sex marriage.
Our correspondent gathered on Friday
that the Federal Government’s delegation to the 17th Session of the
Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council in
Geneva, Switzerland, made a presentation and defense of Nigeria’s
Country Report.
The delegation led by the
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed
Adoke (SAN), reportedly resisted pressure from the US, United Kingdom,
Netherlands, Germany and Australia among others, by upholding the laws
of the country as they concern death penalty and same-sex marriage.
Chairman, House of Representatives
Committee on Justice, Dr. Ahmad Ali, in a statement on Friday, said once
laws are made in accordance with the provisions of Nigeria’s
Constitution, no group of countries, however powerful, should blackmail
it.
“If death penalty is abhorred by these
agenda-setting countries at the UN, they should convince Nigerians and
seek amendment or abrogation. But so long as the death penalty, which is
reserved as a deterrent in protecting human life, is part of our law,
no grandstanding can deter Nigeria,” he said.
According to Ali, same-sex marriage is not a matter recognised by Nigeria and many African countries as a human rights issue.
He said, “We have gone past the
pre-colonial era and Nigeria must have a voice in the comity of nations
on new issues that should or should not emerge as second- or
third-generation human rights.
“No nation can force it down our throat,
not even UN. It is recalled that at the year’s International Bar
Association conference held in Boston earlier this month, a powerful gay
lobby group was forced to admit that Africa was still hostile on the
issue of same-sex, and that they would concentrate their energy on South
America,” he said.
Ali reiterated that as long as Nigerians
detest same-sex marriage, the House of Representatives would continue
to criminalise it.
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