Civil groups and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Nigeria have condemned the move by Joe Biden, President of United States of America for issuing a threat to countries that refused to guarantee the rights of the LGBTQI communities, saying that the American Government will withdraw all forms of aids to such countries. Against this backdrop, the civil groups and NGOs at a briefing in Lagos expressed resistance to this, calling on the American Government to stop imposing its values on other nations. They also kicked against Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), and the move by the USA and European countries to arm twist Nigeria and other African countries into accepting the practice. In her address, The Programme Coordinator, The Project for Human Development (PHD), Chinemerem Adibe, revealed that President Joe Biden came up with a memorandum titled; Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons around the World. She said: “The memorandum is threatening the independence and sovereignty of nation states with severe sanctions, including the use of diplomatic and assistant tools like visa restrictions, as well as punitive financial measures, to harm the people and government, for refusing to abide by American laws and values. “Nigeria is not open to adopting the western approach to living.
If the US or any other country is bent on stopping to give us financial assistance, simply because we have declared LGTBQI illegal in Nigeria, that country can go ahead. LGBTQI is against our culture and tradition and against our beliefs. Only marriage contracted between a man and a woman, either under Islamic law, customary law and the marriage act is recognized as valid in Nigeria. Gay practices and gay marriages are illegal in Nigeria, by virtue of same sex marriage Prohibition Act 2014, therefore, an importation of LGBTQI into Nigeria is illegal. America should respect our culture, tradition and laws.” The group called on American government to stop imposing its ways of life to others, stressing that allowing such in Nigeria, could open roads for other forms of sexual immorality, to the detriment of the future generation.
They also called on Nigerian leaders to sit up and fix the nation, instead of going cap in hand, seeking for aids and foreign assistance everywhere. Advising families, which they noted is the smallest unit of society, they said: “Families need to be careful and hold firmly the values of good conduct and behaviour that makes for better society.” NGOs present on the occasion, include Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (FACH), Project for Human Development (PHD), National Association of Catholic Lawyers, Global Pro-life Alliance (GPA), Doctors Health Initiative, Happy Home Foundation, Association of Concerned Mothers, Good Parenting and Youth Empowerment Initiative, Foundation for Marriage and Family and Centre for Corrections and Human Development.
