The world is indeed in perilous times! I watched with utter consternation, bewilderment and total disappointment the arguments advanced by the European Union Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Mr. Westcott, who briefed the press a few days ago on human rights and the feelings of Western nations that gays, lesbians and homosexuals be allowed to carry on their nefarious and condemnable activities in Nigeria. One is glad that the envoy admitted that our culture, norms, values and beliefs are markedly different from those of the advanced countries where man can marry a man and woman can marry a woman. To reasonable people, this is an abomination that can only be practiced in nations that have rejected God and have, by reasons of negative advancements continued to stand logic on its head in their attempts to justify the abominable practice of homosexuality. I felt like punching the European Union envoy on the face as he advanced and canvassed sordid positions that will never, by the grace of God be allowed to stand in Nigeria and other nations that fear God and believe in procreation. It is a pity that the Creator is a long suffering God who by reason of mercy is patient in judging atrocities like homosexuality committed by human beings, while giving sinners a long rope to repent.
By the way, what is the business of the Western world in our decision to reject this ugly and sad trend in Nigeria, a sovereign nation up to the point of daring us in Nigeria, given our belief systems and strong religious backgrounds, to appear in public to question the morality of our nation rejecting homosexuality? Do these envoys and their cohorts realize the dangers inherent in their decision to condemn our nation, while they support gays and lesbians in total disregard for the feelings of at least 99.9 per cent of reasonable Nigerians who have not, and will never buy or support this senseless development that originated from the Western world. The position of the envoy, his audacity and presentation of his case for recognition of homosexuals in Nigeria is at variance with the laws of Nigeria. Of utmost concern is the fact that the EU’s case was rudely and arrogantly presented by Mr. Westcott. I do not believe that diplomatic niceties and privileges accord him any right to critically condemn Nigeria through a press conference for enacting a law that protects the interests of Nigeria and Nigerian citizens, and their collective future.
Let us reason together. How long will it take the Western world and other societies that have embraced homosexuality and bestiality to go into extinction since it is impracticable for those engaged in the shameful practice to procreate? It stands to reason that if they continue with this sin against God and man, they would, in the not too distant future become another Sodom and Gomorarrah. And the consequence is that those nations and other reasonable people in this part of the world, who choose to obey divine instructions, will fulfil destiny and the divine promise of inheriting the wealth of the ungodly, the wicked and all sinners here and in advanced nations, since they will naturally eventual go into extinction through the practice of homosexuality. One is also constrained to note that while animals have rights n their societies, and could be encouraged to have affairs with human beings on account of human rights, our society is averse to such beliefs, and such rights will, therefore, not be tolerated by the larger percentage of reasonable people in Nigeria.
More importantly, why is it that advanced nations frown at the incidence of anyone attempting to take his or her own life? Should it not be a human right for an individual to be able take his or her own life if found desirable by such an individual? In addition, why do the Western world frown at the use of hard drugs since a man or woman should be able to freely consume cocaine, heroin, Indian hemp or such substances considered dangerous and harmful to human beings? Does it not amount to double standards for these advanced nations to legislate against, and heavily fund the prevention of the use of these substances, while coming out to support much more harmful practice of homosexuality which has the consequence of wiping off humanity if not checked? Why can’t they go to China or other nations with legislations against having too many children to complain against curtailing the human rights of Chinese couple, who are forbidden by law from having more than one child?
I think the solution is simple. Let the European Union and other nations favourably inclined to lesbians and gays grant all Nigerian homosexuals entry visas and citizenships of their nations and ask them to relocate to foreign lands, give them good jobs and operate welfare schemes for them so they could cohabit in harmony and go into extinction together in Europe and the West. For us here in Nigeria, we say No and hereby call on our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies of government to warn these envoys sternly, that their utterances negate our laws and statutes, binding our relationships. Those of them found to be engaging in such acts should promptly be reported to home countries, with requests for immunity waiver, and made to face legal charges of subtle insurrection and possible breakdown of law and order since practitioners of religious faiths in Nigeria could be incensed by such utterances and take the law into their own hands. I pray that they do not run into mobs of protesters as a result of their support for lesbians and gays and opposition to our resolve to live in a manner consistent with our culture, norms, values and principles. The fact that Nigeria subscribes to some treaties, including the United Nations Convention of Human Rights is not an enough reason for few certain misguided elements to circumvent our country’s rules and regulations. There can be no society with absolute human rights and individuals in all parts of the world cannot be totally free to conduct themselves anyhow. Human rights cannot be absolute and must, therefore, conform to the regulations of a given society. Remarkably, these vary from nation to nation. We need to remind Western campaigners for gays and lesbians rights that Nigeria is a sovereign state and on no account should any foreign nation expect Nigerians to forcibly practice what we consider alien to our culture and the totality of our ways of life. In fact, the European Union envoy’s pronouncement, and the manner of pronouncement, is an insult to the Nigerian state; and this must not be tolerated.
Let me now request our religious leaders to step up their campaign against this sordid practice. Nigerian religious leaders must take the credit for preaching good values where their counterparts in foreign countries are doing exactly opposite of what the Holy Books teach. I ask that Primate Peter Jasper Akinola should not be silent. Primate Akinola needs to be sponsored on trips to the Western world and the United Nations to preach, teach and marshal his points on moral rectitude. Akinola has asserted that “modern cultural trappings are the spectacles through which the advanced countries see the scripture. For instance, if modern cultural trappings say gay marriage is okay in their own context, why should we support it? This is a major problem, because when we leant theology from them and when they came to our continent to preach the gospel in the 19th Century, they didn’t teach us that way. Why now twist the whole thing? The whole problem of homosexuality is not just about people who are homosexuals. It’s about church leaders who are upturning the true understanding of the Scripture. They are liberalizing the Scripture. That is the major challenge we faced and we still face.”
Let our religious leaders rise patriotically in defence of the Nigerian nation and the future of our polity. Media reports have described Akinola as a very courageous personality who speaks truth to power and does not mince words when he chooses to condemn issues confronting humanity. The former Primate of the Anglican Communion in Nigeria once queried that “how many leaders in the Church do we hear in recent times telling politicians that what they are doing is wrong? That is what I call conspiracy of silence, not just by the pastors, but by other stakeholders such as the media, lawyers, engineers and accountants, among others.We all see that things are going wrong but we simply keep quiet. There was this topic I shared with bishops on what somebody called ‘conceptual validation of wrong practice.” He also asserts that “when a bad practice is continued over a period of time, it becomes the norm. And the general notion is that everybody is doing it after all. But it is not right.” This is aptly what is happening in the Western world and no effort should be spared at pointing out the ills pravalent in same sex marriages and its consequences to the future of the whole world.
Much has been done by Nigeria in the global fight against homosexuality. During the commencement of the fight against homosexuality by the Anglican Church, former Primate Akinola issued the communiqué: why I object to homosexuality and same-sex unions: “Our argument is that, if homosexuals see themselves as deviants who have gone astray, the Christian spirit would plead for patience and prayers to make room for their repentance. When scripture says something is wrong and some people say that it right, such people make God a liar. We argue that it is a blatant lie against Almighty God that homosexuality is their God given urge and inclination. For us, it is better seen as an acquired aberration. The issue is such an important one; such a defining one, that has become a chronic aberration, which is being defended and promoted in the Church of God. On the authority of the word of God, we see homosexuality as a rebellion against God, like that typified by Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. A rebellion cannot be relative”.
Beyond Akinola’s concern for the Anglican Communion, Nigerians believe that same sex marriage is a ‘’pandemic’’ that is detrimental to the continued existence of mankind; has the potential of eroding our values and norms, as well as promoting the spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndome and similar deadly ailments. Moreover, Nigeria is a deeply religious country and granting homosexuals human rights could provoke a terrible revolution and religious intolerance. Akionla’ psotion vindicates that stand: “Homosexuality is flagrant disobedience to God, which enables people to pervert God’s ordained sexual expression with the opposite sex. In this way, homosexuals have missed the mark; they have shown themselves to be trespassers of God’s divine laws. Protagonists of homosexuality try to elevate this aberration, beyond divine scrutiny, while church leaders, who are called to proclaim the undiluted word of God like the prophets of old, are unashamedly looking the other way. The practice of homosexuality, in our understanding of the scripture, is the enthronement of self-will and human weakness, and a rejection of God’s order and will. This cannot be treated with levity. Otherwise the church, and the God she preaches, will be badly deformed and diminished”.
It is Akinola’s opinion that homosexuality does violence to nature: ‘’As someone says, it contradicts the very light and law of nature. Romans chapter 1 says that “for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections. For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men., leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet” Akinola asserts that “the issue is such a defining one because two cannot go together except if they agree. To overlook this fundamental departure from scripture is not safe for faith or conscience. It means “walking in the counsel of the ungodly and the consequence is to risk the displeasure of God. “What we are talking about is an attack on the Church by some whose aim is to discredit the Gospel, pollute the Church, neutralize its power and pull it down. Christ has forewarned: “He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad”.
Akinola’s media statements assert categorically that “If those who are promoting this energy-sapping and unnecessary controversy were to be a little more spiritually sensitive, if they were to walk closely with the Lord and accept the authority of his word as revealed in the scripture, they would not need to be persuaded about what is at stake.“The acceptance of homosexuality and lesbianism as normal is the triumph of disobedience; the enthronement of human pride over the will of God. This lifestyle is a terrible violation of the harmony of the eco-system of which mankind is part. ‘’ In a statement by GAFCON, an arm of the Anglican Church that is against homosexualism and one of the organizations led by Primate Akinola, the body says in clear and unmistakable terms that “We affirm that Scripture upholds marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman, instituted in the creation ordinance; We reaffirm that the only sexual expression, as taught by Scripture, which honours God and upholds human dignity is that between a man and a woman within the sacred ordinance marriage; We further believe that Scripture maintains that any other form of sexual expression is sinful, selfish, dishonouring to God and an abuse of human dignity. We are aware of the scourge of sexual promiscuity, including homosexuality, rape and child abuse in our time. These are pastoral problems and we call on the Churches to seek to find a pastoral and scriptural way to bring healing and restoration to those who are affected by any of these harrowing tragedies”.
Pastor Matthew Asimolowo’s assertion, as contained in a publication: ‘Nigeria’s Leading Lights of the Gospel’ authored by Femi Adelegan better describes the Nigerian situation. According to Asimolowo, “There is a mandate of God on Nigeria that is unequalled, and one of the beauties of our mandate is that it is similar to that of South Korea. It is borne out of prayer. Nigeria is a praying nation. It came out of pain, suffering and the harshnessing of the economy; but it has toughened our people and made them to be God-ward. I live in Europe, but I would rather have the God of Nigeria, than the godlessness of Europe. In the same publication, former head of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Dr Sunday Ola Makinde, asserted that “Nigeria is by every standard a country that is rich in diversities, and one area in which our diversity stands out is in the area of religion. Nigerians are a deeply religious people and even though the Christian faith is not indigenous to our people (indeed, the gospel was first preached on our soil by a Methodist Missionary – Rev Thomas Birch Freeman, on 24th September 1842, in Badagry, less than two centuries ago) - it is an undisputed fact that the fervour and conviction with which many of our citizens embrace and practice Christianity is remarkable, to put it mildly.’’ Let us tell our brothers and sisters in the advanced world, who love same sex marriages to leave us alone. On this occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our religious leaders should swing into action. Our Legislators must reiterate their position which protects the rights of Nigeria and the generality of Nigerians. Let all these foreign interests canvassing positions that are patently injurious to the interests of the Nigerian State halt their sordid actions, and note that Nigeria’s leaders have done what Nigerians generally consider proper, by outlawing homosexualism. And there should be nso sentimentality. Today, the Western world stands at a major crossroad on account of terrible moral decadence largely provoked by their ‘’love for human rights.’’
Finally, I congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan for assenting to the bill on homosexualism as passed by the Legislature. I salute the Nigerian Legislature, while also greeting all sane Nigerians on the introduction of this very remarkable legislation against homosexualism in Nigeria. Let all those who are displeased with the popular will of Nigerians to stand against homosexualism in accordance with our laws opt to quit Nigeria. Same sex marriage is alien to our tradition and culture and will not be operated in Nigeria. Its the height of insanity. Nothing beter describes it. For the sake of the living and the dead, I wish to reiterate that the European Union and other societies are free to issue resident permits to gays and lesbians in Nigeria to enable them reside in those societies, if they are not willing to respect laws and regulations that are sancrosant and speak the minds of Nigerians. In democracy, majority views must always prevail, while the minority, which, in this case is terribly miscroscopic, have enjoyed basic human rights within the confines of the Nigerian constitution and our other extant statutes.
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