Last month the writer Chinua Achebe declined the Nigerian government’s attempt to name him a Commander of the Federal Republic. He had rejected the same award in 2004. Achebe’s main objection then was widespread state corruption. He noted that “the reasons for rejecting the offer [of the award] when it was first made [in 2004] have not been addressed let alone solved. It is inappropriate to offer it again to me.” Achebe could not have planned the next move of some key members of Nigeria’s political class. Fresh from that rejection, the members of Nigeria’s Senate decided to pass a new Prohibition of Same-Sex Marriage Bill which advocates jail time–up to 14 years–for same-sex couples who decide to marry or live together. The BBC reports that “…those ‘witnessing’ or ‘abetting’ such relationships would also face custodial sentences, and groups that advocate for gay and lesbian rights could also be penalized … Before it becomes law, the bill must be passed by the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, and then signed by the president.”
The bill could not come at a worse time for gays in Nigeria, already subjected to harassment, hate crimes and death. (See also this video we posted earlier.) Activists point out that they have never agitated for gay marriage on Nigeria’s law books.
