UN Disagree with death penalty of same sex marriage in nigeria

Nigeria and the United Nations Human
Rights Council may clash over the country's
current
position on the abolition of death
penalty and same-sex marriage.
This emerged during a post-Federal
Executive Council meeting briefing
addressed by the Minister of Information,
Mr. Labaran Maku, on Wednesday.

Maku said President Goodluck Jonathan,
who presided over the meeting, presented
a memorandum seeking FEC's approval of
Nigeria's Second Cycle Universal Periodic
Review report (2009 to 2013) to the
UNHRC, Geneva Switzerland.
He said after four years of presenting
Nigeria's national report to the council, the
country was required to submit a report
on the level of implementation of the
recommendations.

He said after considerations, FEC approved
the report and directed the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to present the report to the
council in Geneva, Switzerland in October.
The minister said out of the 32 issues
raised in the last report in 2009 relating to
Nigeria, substantial progress had been
made in 30.

He identified the two areas where Nigeria
had continued to differ with the council to
include the abolition of death penalty and
the clamour for same-sex marriage.

Maku said, "We are happy to note that of
the 32 issues that were raised in the last
report in 2009 relating to Nigeria, we have
made substantial progress in about 30 of
those issues. These include issues relating
to press freedom, the rights of citizens and
the rights of women.

"There are two areas Nigeria has continued
to differ with the United Nations Human
Rights Council and these two areas have to
do with the abolition of death penalty as
well as the clamour by some nations for
the enforcement of same-sex marriage.

"On these two, substantial progress is
being made in terms of the death penalty
issues within our statutes that we need to
resolve, and it is not only Nigeria, but even
the United States and several other
countries have not yet abolished death
penalty. It is something to be pursued and
it is also something that we need time,
change in attitude, change in perceptions,
and change in laws for these to become
reality.

"There are still philosophical, fundamental
differences of opinion on the matter of the
death penalty. It is not something that we
have a national consensus on now for
Nigeria to make a definite decision on this
one.

"But in relation to same-sex marriage, also
we still have fundamental differences
within our country and so we are trying to
look into it and see what position Nigeria
will take."

Maku however said it would be difficult for
any nation to enforce a value that was
strange to its society.

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