How will the pendulum swing?
By Emeka Asinugo, KSC
In a matter of weeks, the scheduled meeting between Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and American President Barak Obama will take place in the United States of America. Obama is expected to play host to Buhari on July 21. It is expected that the two gentlemen will discuss political, economic, social and security issues which impact on the relationships between their nations.
Among the social issues they are likely to discuss, many Nigerians in the Diaspora believe that Obama will raise the point concerning Nigeria’s laws on gay relationships and lobby President Buhari to join hands with America, Canada, Europe and some other countries which have endorsed same-sex relationships. It is not clear, as of now, what Buhari can concede to America, for whatever reason, and what he cannot.
What is clear is that recently, the Supreme Court in America officially secured a judgment which legalized same-sex marriages in all of the nation’s 50 states. Before that judgment, only 37 states endorsed same-sex marriages in America. The argument as to the moral and social propriety of gay relationships had raged on like harmattan fire, even in the media in the United States and beyond. Many thought, and still think, that the idea is demonic. Others argue that it is all about human rights. Whatever it is, America has now legalized gay relationships across its territory. That is now clear.
In the White House, Obama hailed the ruling as a milestone which arrived “like a thunderbolt” in American justice system. Obama is the first sitting US President to support gay relationships. “This ruling is a victory for America. This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts. When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all freer,” he is quoted as saying after the verdict was delivered to Americans from the Supreme Court. Even as the clouds darkened that day, and night approached, the White House was lit up with the colours of the rainbow – symbolizing gay pride – to mark the court’s decision.
Naturally, the world would not expect the butt to end with America. It is obvious that America will lobby for allies who would support its new-found liberal hemisphere. It is also almost certain that America will look towards African countries for support. After-all, President Obama hails from Kenya, one of the African countries he would probably look forward to convincing that gay relationships are synonymous with natural justice. It is also almost obvious that when Buhari visits Obama in two weeks, this bizarre American sense of social justice would get some space in the conversation between the two Presidents.
Obama’s open support for gay relationships has become somewhat legendary. During Nelson Mandela’s Memorial Service in 2013 he spoke glowingly in support of gay communities around the world “still struggling for equality”. He said: “around the world today, men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs and are still persecuted for what they look like and how they worship and who they love.” He argued that because Africa had suffered marginalization, racism and discrimination, the continent should be at the forefront of the campaign for gay rights.
Unfortunately, Africans do not see these things the same way as the so-called civilized countries. So far, Buhari has remained silent about gay rights despite the fact that he is widely known as a devout Muslim.
His silence is somehow intriguing because in its edition of 13 March 2015, a national tabloid in Nigeria published a story in which then ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, alleged that the All Progressives Congress, APC flag bearer Muhammadu Buhari, was in the process of entering into a deal with the Western world to legalize same-sex marriage if elected President.
Addressing journalists in Abuja at the time, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who was Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization alleged that Buhari was considering compromising the anti–gay laws in Nigeria in an attempt to get the support and endorsement of Western governments.
President Goodluck Jonathan had signed the bill into law which criminalized same-sex relationships in January 2014. Defying Western pressure over gay rights, he squarely faced criticisms and threats of sanctions from the United Kingdom, the United States, France and other European countries. The anti-gay law banned gay relationships throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria and stipulated a punishment of up to 14 years in prison for Nigerians who are known to practise gay marriages or same-sex “amorous relationships.” The bill which also affected membership of gay rights groups was passed into law by the National Assembly in May 2013 and given the Presidential assent in January 2014.
On Buhari’s alleged deal with the Western world, Fani- Kayode had this to say: “We want to touch on the shameful proposition that was made to General Muhammadu Buhari by the representatives of a number of Western governments when he was in the United Kingdom for a prolonged stay. He had appealed to them for support and to get their endorsement. He had talks with the representatives of at least four Western countries. The leaders of those countries made an offer to General Buhari and we are reliably informed that he put the offer under consideration. The proposition and offer was that if he was prepared to support legislation in Nigeria to allow same-sex marriage and if he was prepared to repeal the anti–gay laws in Nigeria they will, in return, endorse, support and fund him, initially covertly and eventually publicly, at the right time. Instead of an outright rejection of these offers and proposition, to our utter shock and consternation, General Buhari apparently refused to rule it out and has put the matter under consideration. Instead of him to say NO, he assured them that he would consider these two things. We believe that this is a matter that ought to be brought to the attention of the Nigerian people as a matter of urgency. The APC is so desperate to ensure that General Buhari becomes the President of this country that it is actually prepared to consider the scrapping of all anti–gay or anti-homosexual legislations and at the same time, endorse and support fresh legislation that would allow same-sex marriage in our country. They are considering this despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the Nigerian people find same-sex marriage and, indeed, homosexuality repugnant and unacceptable. We are using this occasion to challenge General Buhari to come clean and to tell Nigerians whether this is true and whether, in the likely event of being elected President, he is seriously considering scrapping the anti-homosexual laws in our country and pushing through new legislation which would allow same-sex marriage.”
In my recent article published in the Cameroon Web among other media and titled “One Step Ahead”, I warned African leaders that the heat was still on and that the Western world had not relaxed in their campaign to shore up gay relationships on the continent. I warned that the traditional African family and their values which had sustained thousands of years were under threat by the technological innovations of the Western mind.
I keep wondering.
So far, the traditional concept of family has continued to dominate every aspect of family life in African societies. A male husband and a female wife, in addition to their children, if they have any, have remained the socially recognised family.
But times are changing, I warned.
The influence of the “civilised” nations is spreading like harmattan fire across the world. And as the world is quickly turning into a global village, African leaders will need to address the probability that this concept of the “new family” could eventually catch up with African nations.
What will they do if eventually African countries embrace the concept of the “liberal family”? Will they stand by their peoples’ understanding and retain the values of the traditional African family? Or will they, at some point, cave in to American and European threats and follow the trend that is destined to destroy the values of the traditional family? That is the million dollar question that President Buhari will have to answer in America as he negotiates with that country on global security and other issues of bilateral importance to the US and Nigeria in a matter of weeks.
