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 offenses 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.
-Punchng
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