THE BATTLE LINE IS DRAWN! (2)

INCRESE Founder,
Dorothy Aken'Ova

"Delay is dangerous. It is dangerous because the same forces that truncated two previous attempts at the legislation are already gathering. With the release of fund from their principals the so-called human rights activist will begin to find their voice. One already did...one of the NGOs earlier identified in this column as a signatory to the Amnesty International petition against House Bill 105 of 2009, is already kicking."

You didn’t have to be clairvoyant to foresee the kind of reactions that have come from the gay movement and their principals in the various western capitals. As reported here last time, they are already yelling blue murder over our decision, as a people, to throw our lot with God over same sex relationships.

As always, the United States excelled its allies in the steps it took to leave us in no doubt that the Yankees mean business. Shortly after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s self-serving rehash of time-worn, untenable arguments for recognising homosexuality as a human right which must be protected, Washington was reported to have released money thousands of dollars in grant to support gay right activism abroad. It’s a no-brainer that most of that fund will end up in Nigeria.

That has buttressed my assertion here a few weeks ago that “they (the international gay lobby) will work hard to abort this bill at either of the next two steps. They will use every weapon in their arsenal – money, blackmail, intimidation, carrot and stick etc.”

That was why I canvassed “…the need for everybody in support of this law to do everything possible to avoid a loss of momentum. The House of Representatives must be encouraged to fast track its debate and passage.” I recalled calling on “Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha…as one of the sponsors of the aborted 2009 House Bill 150 (A Bill for an Act to Prohibit Marriage between Persons of Same Gender, Solemnization of Same and for other Matters related therewith)… to rally all the other sponsors still in the House to spearhead this new move. Any loss of momentum can be fatal”.

Mercifully, Providence gave him the opportunity to preside over the House session which saw the bill pass through the first reading that same week. But, I shall never tire of saying it; a bill is still a bill until it goes through the whole process. The House must be encouraged, cajoled, pushed, whatever, to fast track this bill so it can go to the President for accent.

Delay is dangerous. It is dangerous because the same forces that truncated two previous attempts at the legislation are already gathering. With the release of fund from their principals the so-called human rights activist will begin to find their voice. One already did.

According to a Next online report of December 9, signed by Jethro Ibileke, one of the NGOs earlier identified in this column as a signatory to the Amnesty International petition against House Bill 105 of 2009, is already kicking. The report reads thus:

“A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the International Centre for Sexual Reproductive Rights (INCRESE), has called on Nigerians and civil organizations to look closely into the same sex bill to see what implications they would have on every Nigerian, irrespective of gender, sex, religion, creed, culture, sexuality, tradition, origin, ethnic group and political opinion.

“The statement signed by the National Coordinator of INCRESE, Dorothy Aken’ova, observed that every time laws are introduced, most Nigerians do not understand what the provisions of such bills are and their implications on their daily lives as citizens of Nigeria.

“’As noted from lack of a close look at such bills, most Nigerians make abrupt conclusions by concurring with the titles of the bills alone, due to already cultural, religious or political sentiments established on subject matters around same sex issues. It is a duty upon civil society organizations in Nigeria to inform and educate the citizens and be the whistle blowers when needed especially when these kind of oppressive and dangerous legislations are brought forward by our parliamentarians,’ the statement noted.

“According to the press statement, there are reports from around the country of mob action and intimidation of people and individuals who are already being targeted due to discuss on the proposed legislation. We received reports from Benin, Calabar and Lagos and other parts of the country of situations where people are targeted and threatened by mob with extreme intrusiveness of the privacy of those persons whose behaviour does not conform with gender and social roles.

“‘We urge Nigerian civil society organizations, the media, women rights group, feminist forums, social health workers, civil liberties organizations, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, Christian associations, Muslim associations, to mention but a few, to join hands with other CSOs to call on the president and the National Assembly to re-consider this bill to ensure that it protects basic democratic and human rights principles in Nigeria.

“’In summary, the implication and the aims of the bill, despite the best intention of the legislators, will go far beyond the prohibition of same sex marriage, and be used either as a censorship as well as punitive tool or against the democratic process of the country’.”

INCRESE, by the way, is a Minna, Niger state-based NGO founded by one Ms Dorothy Aken’ova, a Nigerien by birth but Nigerian by marriage. It is said to be “pioneering multidisciplinary research and communication project on sexual diversity and human rights in Nigeria”. For this it got a Ford Foundation grant of $190,000 in 2006. Before its known website (increse-increse.org) was suspended for undisclosed reasons, it had the following listed as Board of Trustees members: Dr. Benoit Kalasa, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Dr. Babacar Fall, Dr. Afua Hesse, Prof. Bene Madunagu, Dr. Zagbayi Nuhu, Dr. Angela Giwa–Osagie, Ms. Cynthia Rothschild and, of course, Ms. Dorothy Aken‘ova, herself.

This, I can assure you, dear reader, is the first salvo because once funds become available to these groups, they will deploy it liberally to delay the bill, distract the House with campaigns that there are more issues critical to the well being of Nigerians than an anti-gay marriage law, and suborn officials that they can etc. The goal is so the bill can go the way of others before it. Vigilance is required if this bill is going to become law. Even when it is done, it will be only the beginning of a long drawn battle for the soul of our nation, but it will be well worth it. For that reason, you’ve not heard the last from me on this subject.  Merry Christmas in advance.