Almost 18 months after former President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Law, making same-sex unions in Nigeria a criminal offence punishable by a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment, 81 per cent of the country’s adults still consider the law appropriate.
Results of an independent poll conducted by NOI Polls Limited, a country specific polling services that conducts periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria, revealed that most Nigerian adults still remain in support of the law.
The poll result, which was obtained by THISDAY on Wednesday in Abuja, suggests that this new development is irrespective of the recent legalisation of ‘Same-Sex Marriage’ by the United States Supreme Court.
It further revealed that most Nigerians had, regardless of the law, refused from time to accept the Lesbian, Gay and Bi-sexual (LGB) community and practices in the society.
The poll showed that about 87 per cent of adults who were randomly interviewed from the country’s six geopolitical zones were not willing to accept a family member who is homosexual and that a larger proportion of Nigerians (90 per cent) do not think people are born homosexual, suggesting that it is an orientation that is acquired through life's experience.
Also, 81 per cent of Nigerians in the poll do not believe homosexuals should have the same rights as other Nigerians, while a considerable proportion (30 per cent) agree that homosexuals should be given equal rights to access public services such as healthcare, housing and education.
The poll, according to NOI’s Director of Research, Dr. Bell Ihua, was conducted in partnership with the Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs) and Bisi Alimi Foundation, chiefly to measure the perception of Nigerians towards the LGB community.
Jonathan, in January 2014, signed the Act, which also stipulates a punishment of 10 years imprisonment for any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations directly or indirectly.
Although its constitutionality has been challenged in the Federal High Court, it was however struck out by Justice Abdul Kafarati in October 2014, on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked the requisite locus standi to sue on behalf of other Nigerians.
The court in addition argued that the plaintiff did not provide sufficient materials to show he had suffered or was about to suffer from the implementation of the Act.
There have also been claims by groups such as Queer Alliance that the LGB community had between January and December 2014 recorded 105 cases of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“However, this new figure is down 5-points from the 2013 poll result, where majority (92 per cent) showed support for the bill. More findings revealed that a majority of Nigerians (81 per cent) do not believe homosexuals should have the same rights as other Nigerians.
"Furthermore, the results showed that 9 in 10 Nigerians (90 per cent) do not believe people are born homosexual, suggesting that being gay is a quality that is acquired through life’s experiences,” said Ihua.
Ihua added: “87 per cent of those interviewed stated that they would not be willing to accept a family member who is homosexual; although 11 per cent showed willingness to accept a gay family member.
“In conclusion, Nigerians do not support marital rights for the LGB community, however they are slightly in support of some socio-economic rights.”
The opinion poll was conducted in May 2015. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. One thousand randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed.
With a sample of this size, the polling organisation said: “We can say with 95 per cent confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise within a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.”
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