Nigeria is led by the right-wing; People's Democratic Party. This party is founded in 1998 after the end of the military junta that ruled Nigeria since 1993. The PDP is a neoliberal party that supports the rule of the capitalists and the Nigerian rich. Also it is conservative and opposes liberal freedoms. We see this in their anti-homosexuality. Elections have never been free, as political violence is as common as sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims. Revolutionary socialists have also fallen under attack by the corrupt police. Members of the Democratic Socialist Movement faced arrests and jail time for their opposition to the Nigerian government and its conservative president!
The northern Islamic states of Nigeria already criminalized homosexuality. Now the Christian southern states make their move to ban it. Africa is notorious for its religious fundamentalism and intolerance of LGBT people. Unlike the criminal theocratic governments in the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the ''US puppet state'' of Afghanistan, most African nations do not execute gay's. They send them to prison for the rest of their lives. Lesbian relationships are banned as well in Africa. But unlike their male counterparts, the African lesbians do not face life imprisonment. Lesbian sex is not punished as hard as gay sex!
Goodluck Jonathan became president in 2011. He was vice-president under Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, but kept a low profile. Thanks to the People's Democratic Party and its control over the media, he won the elections. Easy when you consider his personal wealth. Goodluck Jonathan is a millionaire who owns more then 8.000.000 US dollars. Like many capitalist presidents, Jonathan serves the needs of the ruling class. In 2012, the president wanted to remove the fuel subsidies. Many poor Nigerians get their fuel cheap because of these subsidies. But Jonathan wanted to cut this as part of his austerity plans. After massive protests by the working class and parts of the establishment, he kept fuel prices affordable!
Since 2001, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is at war with Islamic militants of the group; Boko Haram. The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad, Boko Haram in the Hausa language. Between 2001 and 2013 more then 10.000 Nigerians were killed in conflicts between the corrupt police and the Islamic fundamentalists. The goal of Boko Haram is clear, they want to establish a Islamic Emirate in Nigeria and enforce the dogma's of the Koran. They are opposed by the Christians who have dominated Nigerian politics for years. Many young Muslims have deep hatred for the Christians who they see as dictatorial, corrupt and cruel. They are partly right, because the Nigerian military has murdered more then 1000 members of Boko Haram in prison. But this does not mean that the Islamic rebels are saints. They too use brutal and criminal methods, like child soldiers and murdering innocent Christians!
The banning of homosexuality in the southern Christian states of Nigeria, may give the president much needed support from Christians. Since Nigeria has oil it is unlikely the international community will do something to help homosexuals. With their oil, the Nigerians are a big player in the market for petroleum. Because of this, no government would dare to stand and demand radical action againt Goodluck Jonathan. The criminalisation of homosexuality is a fundamental attack on human-rights. We know why they ban it, because president Goodluck Jonathan wants to please his Christian electorate. He and his criminal; People's Democratic Party are guided by backward religious dogma's and it is up to the brave revolutionary socialists and secular democratic Nigerians to stand up for gay/lesbian rights!
Gay's and Lesbians are hated and jailed
in both the Islamic north and the Christian south
of Nigeria!
