Nigerian ambassador defends law against same-sex marriage

The Nigerian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu has defended the Nigerian government’s passing of a law against same sex marriage.

Last year Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, signed the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which provides penalties of up to 14 years in jail for a same sex marriage and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for membership or encouragement of gay clubs, societies and organisations.

Speaking before a Dáil joint committee on Wednesday, the ambassador said that everyone was free to object to the act before it came to pass.

“The system in Nigeria is that the national assembly in passing any law, hold public hearings and with groups of interest. People are free to make their views known and usually when they make their views known, the national assembly takes that into consideration before making the law,” Dr Ketbu said.

“They were not precluded from the process of public hearings for making their contributions .... the law in Nigeria prohibits gay marriages, that is what they law is,” she said.

Dr Ketbu was responding to concerns raised by a number of committee members about Nigeria’s treatment of gay people.

Independent Senator David Norris said he was concerned that gay people living in Nigeria are “terrified, beaten and attacked over something they cannot control.”

Independent TD John Halligan said he met gay and lesbian people from Nigeria who had been attacked by the police force there.

He said that while the Irish Government supports the Nigerian government’s fights against Boko Haram, he was critical of its treatment of gay people. “The way you’re dealing with your own people is unacceptable and reprehensible,” he said.

Labour TD Eric Byrne said “the treatment of gay, lesbian and transgender people in 2015 is not acceptable.”

Fine Gael Senator Michael Mullins said: “If your government wants international support to deal with terrorism this needs to be addressed.”

Separately, Dr Ketbu gave assurances that the upcoming elections will be “free and fair.”

The presidential and national assembly elections will be held on February 14th and the state governorships and state assemblies elections will place on February 28th.