No going back on anti gay bill, and death penalty – FG

The Federal Government has rejected the recommendation by the United Nations Human Rights Council on the protection of same sex marriage and the abolition of death penalty.

This was contained in a draft report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on resolution 16/20 discussed at a Stakeholders' Consultative Forum on the second cycle of Nigeria's Universal Periodic Review in Abuja on Friday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, stated that same sex marriage was against the tradition and customs of the nation, so it could not be imposed on the country by external forces.

Ashiru who expressed shock why gay rights had generated interest from the United Nations, queried the negative campaign against polygamy, which, according to him, was allowed in African tradition.

He said, "You should not shy away from defending what you believe is right. Whatever is in our constitution, you must defend it. We must stand by our constitution. We must stand by our customs and tradition.

"If you want to have gay right in your constitution; fine, but we have our own constitution. The same human rights they want to protect for gay people; how about people who want to go into polygamy if they so desire and women are willing to marry them. Polygamy is human rights in our tradition."

On the abolition of death penalty, the Minister said Nigeria should not be blamed because the Criminal Code in use was enacted by the colonial masters, saying, "If anything is wrong about it, why are they blaming us?"