AS BRITIAN LEGALISES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

 

We are living in an interesting age. Indeed the famous Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”, has never been more apt like in this generation. Freedom has never been so free in the world we live today as one of the oldest monarchs in the world, Queen Elizabeth 11, has recently given her royal stamp of approval for same-sex marriage. Move over traditional marriage, same-sex marriage has arrived. And woo betide you who is still “old fashioned” and talk ill of same-sex relationships.  You could be denied visa by Western nations based on allegation of being “homophobia”. Trust Nigerians, very soon they are going to take advantage of this window and claim that they want to have same-same marriage but Nigerian government would jail them if they try and pronto all-expense paid “political asylum” visa would be made available to such “smart” fellows. Nigerians looking for greener pasture in United Kingdom or United States  would soon be getting express visa by claiming to be same-same couples who want to get married under UK or US same-sex marriage laws. The stringent laws passed by Nigerian government against same-sex marriage, mean that those who choose such strategy to escape poverty in Nigeria cannot go wrong. There was a time when express visas were gotten to avoid “being forcefully circumcised” and I can bet same-sex human rights groups would soon become the “in-thing” and those in the “business” can be sure of adequate funding from Western capitals. We are indeed in interesting times. There are also other wider implication of same-sex marriage in international relations as relationship between the Western powers and developing countries especially Africa could be shaped by this development. Only recently Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, revealed that the government was only serious pressure by Western governments to reverse the country’s anti-gay laws which they say is infringing on the rights of gays and lesbians. Nigeria’s only saving grace for now is that it is not an aid dependent economy like many other African countries where the West ties development aids to rights of gays and lesbians. When Uganda wanted to pass a tough same-sex relationship law the West warned that it would held back its aids and since then the law has not been passed despite the fact that most Ugandans are in support of it. And as long as African leaders continue to run their economies aground and depend on the West to balance their books the continent will continue to be vulnerable to the Western world’s penchant for forcing its policies and culture on Africa.