This past Monday, 30^th January 2006, your correspondent wrote an opinion article with the title ‘Anti-homosexual bandwagon as a dangerous trend’. The article appeared in the Daily Trust and at a number of websites. In summary, the point of the piece was that same-sex marriage is not a major problem in Nigeria to warrant legislation and that such an act--a needless reaction to strange happenings in the West--is largely an attempt to distract attention from the real issues of the day. The article also sought to sound an alarm over the creeping tendency of the state to meddle where it shouldn’t, the likelihood of abuse and the matter of setting dangerous precedents.

Before the end of the day, this writer was under attack from many fronts. Though the volume is tapering, it continues till this time. A few of these attacks were sober and insightful reactions from which one learned some useful lessons. Some responses were from readers who basically agreed with the writer. But the bulk came from outraged people who vented their annoyance through many versions of unprintable abuse on your correspondent, some showing clearly that the people involved either didn’t read the piece or do not understand WAEC-level English. Indeed, one of the most inane attacks came in the form of an accusation that this writer is a homosexual. The accuser in this case gave the title of the article under review as his evidence. However, when asked whether the author of an article titled ‘Anti-Islamic bandwagon as a dangerous trend’ would automatically be Muslim, the accuser had nothing to say.

Add to the issue or leave it alone

Nonetheless, coming from a literary background, your correspondent is more at home with critical appraisals than fawning commendations. Moreover, one’s humble experience in the newspaper world has solidified a position that reactions to opinions, whether in support or against, should advance the issue at stake in some direction to be worthy of being brought to readers’ attention.

In simple terms, this means that if you merely write to congratulate or abuse the writer for a job well or poorly done, as the case maybe, there is really nothing worthwhile to present to the reading public. If the reader who is reacting to an opinion feels the article in question deserves praise, it is good to say why. Similarly, if the opinion must be condemned, the reason should also be given. Whatever the case maybe, it is best to express one’s views within the confines of polite public discourse. Abusive language, no matter what brilliant points they may seek to convey, earn the disdain of most editors and often the entire piece is discarded.

This backdrop is necessary to show in as detached a manner as possible the reason for the sadness one feels over the attacks from angry people who chose to express their anger in abusive language. Your correspondent is not a child not to know how emotive anything pertaining to homosexuality can be. Indeed, in the said article, its highly stigmatised state was commented on. But in the hope of focusing discourse on the issue and not the writer, your correspondent also pointed out that “name-calling is a filthy exercise usually the pastime of people who have low self-esteem and can hardly separate the issue from the person.” This fact, which is extrapolated from various medical findings, unfortunately failed to persuade many to see the need to address the ‘message’ and not the ‘messenger’. The end result was that these people fell over themselves hurling insults while the point of one’s essay was largely set aside.

Channel that anger into helpful causes

In any case, considering that the piece under review is not one’s first article, the level of response, albeit largely negative, has been amazing. It is seeing this enthusiastic volley that has saddened your correspondent the more. If only these people--among them some who would certainly like to lynch this writer--could work up the same anger over the general decay in this country; if only the blatant looting of the public treasury would enrage them enough to attack super-rich public servants the way they have attacked your correspondent; if only the daylight fleecing of Nigeria’s heirlooms in the name of privatisation could annoy them the way that article did; if only they would fight to improve our public education system that now produces many graduates who cannot understand WAEC-level English with the passion they fight against mere mention of the word ‘homosexual’; if only the annoying ‘follow the West’ attitude that accounts for fake foreign accents on some radio stations and the customer relations line of a particular GSM company would enrage these people the way the deeds between two consenting adults do; if only these people could clamour for genuine development with the severity with which they have decimated one man’s position on a truly irrelevant matter, one has no doubt that Nigeria would be a far better place than it is today.

Change the complacent attitude

And why so? Many of our problems arise directly from complacency. This siddon look attitude in the general populace is why Lamidi Adedibu can pocket Oyo State so easily. It is why the federal government gets away with non-implementation of budgets. It is why court orders often are not worth calling ‘orders’, as nobody obeys them. More than greed, unwillingness on the part of most Nigerians to be provoked enough into any sort of action is why the third term agenda will succeed. Those pursuing the programme know this well enough. They’ve read the Nigerian people through and through. They know they can manipulate people into lynching your correspondent for cautioning against a law that may serve as a dangerous precedent for a tomorrow that will soon be with us. And while this writer is being lynched, these puppet-masters will proceed with mortgaging the future of the country for another generation through their greed to hang on to power and its trappings eternally.

While being jocularly labelled a Devil’s Advocate--and not so jocularly, a heathen--one has been told that whereas homosexuality is an unnatural sin, stealing public funds is a natural one. Maybe so. But see what damage can happen to a public officer--say a governor--accused of stealing public funds, even where there’s no proof. If those who hate that public officer then add the charge of homosexuality, whether proven or not, imagine what awaits the poor fellow.

Whatever the scenario may be, can people not see that looting the public treasury--the wider consequences of which includes unnecessary deaths due to poor public health facilities and numerous other fallouts--makes it an infinitely more horrible deed than homosexuality? So stealing from and ruining this nation is less of a sin than two consenting adults doing whatever they do, even if they do so in ‘sickness’? Why does the lynch mob come out so strongly against homosexuality but won’t do a thing about achieving good governance? Who is that person that thinks same-sex marriage can ever happen in Nigeria even fifty years from now? Regardless of the fact that culture evolves, ours remains a very conservative society that will never tolerate same-sex marriage. Certainly not in a century.

No to blackmail

Some people who are concerned for this writer’s safety have been advising that one should recant one’s position as stated in the earlier-mentioned article. Your correspondent lives by the standards--Sustenance and Service; Death Before Dishonour. One has published. Let one be damned. Not a word will be taken back. For what? How can one be blamed for some people’s inability to grasp basics? Did one support same-sex marriage? Did one support homosexuality? One will not bow to the blackmail in these false charges and others not worth mentioning. One’s position on homosexuals as contained in the article and not an addendum or afterthought, is captured in these two questions: “why are the homosexuals not shouting for their right to marry themselves? Is it not because they already feel and know well the censure of society?” This writer is part of that society. This writer also censures homosexuality. One will not, however, advocate the killing of homosexuals, as some are now doing. One will rather propose we kill those who steal public funds because pen robbers are no better than armed robbers. Also, one will stand by the position that “it is unfortunate that this anti-homosexual bandwagon will not capsize and send its riders to the ground where they may reconnect with our existing undeveloped reality, which does not have homosexuality as a major issue.”

Finally, someone has drawn your correspondent’s attention to the point that the term yan daudu does not refer to homosexuals but refers to pimps. However, a little investigation quickly revealed that there is a different school of thought that says the first interpretation is correct. So there it is. Now lest the very aim of distraction succeed where this writer is concerned, this is the last of your correspondent’s two pennies on this unimportant homosexual matter. There are simply too many other worthwhile issues that ought to be looked into. Period.

Robot  # 1 | 03.02.2006 06:32

This past Monday, 30th January 2006, your correspondent wrote an opinion article with the title ‘Anti-homosexual bandwagon as a dangerous trend’. The article appeared in the Daily Trust and at a number of websites. In summary, the point of the piece was that same-sex marriage is not a major problem in Nigeria to warrant legislation and that such an act--a needless reaction to strange happenings in the West--is largely an attempt to distract attention from the real issu...Read the full article.

Dr. Saniobifemi  # 2 | 03.02.2006 08:33

Project Nigeria: 1.) do you have a skill, if not put all the machinery in force to acquire one. 2.) get serious active involvement in community sanitational matters. 3.) buy only made in Nigeria products, prioritize your needs. 4.) make sondays your Farming days. 5.) massive infrastructural reegineering, restructuring, construction and constant improvement on existing ones ( 1 million house p.a., extensive road-system networks, water, electricity, hospitals, best universities in the world etc) by active involvement of international consortiums, to be financed only with crude oil and other resources, no cash. 6.) zero corruption, zero indiscipline. 7.) within this period of five years, if still you're unemployed, as part and parcel of paliative counter- measure to ameliorate threating and irrelevant hardship of life, you're entitle to monthly minimal amount of 5000,-Naira. 8.) introduction of compulsory residential registration, thus eventually aiding to checkmate certain degree of security risks. 9.) scrapping of senate as arm of government. 10.) fixing at a certain level of number - the number of parlamentarians at fed. and states level(highest 100). 11.) within this period of five years no government official will be allowed to travel abroad, only on official duty. 12.) official cars are only cars made or assembled in Nigeria. 13.) i will convert the northern Desert to oasis of Solar-Panels - alternative Energy. 14.) scrapping of executive presidential allocation of chains of private/personal Airplanes. 15.) Creation of children ministry with sole responsibility of data collection and compilation - from birth to school-age. children welfare has most priority! 16.) within period of five, nigerians will withness green revolution; desertification and erosion are man- made and the phenomenonal effects can be reversed by focused leadership. this i promise you! 17.) within this period of five years, the government will be mindfull og enviromental aesthetic, saneness and cosistent aspiration for perfection - no room for laziness and mediocrity. 18.) establishment of special touristic attraction camps all-over the federation for the sole purpose of confining official looters/launderers, this will be enforced after due process and expropriation of thier wealth/properties. entrance fees collected will be assigned for their welfare!

na wah  # 3 | 03.02.2006 08:54

What is the obsession with the word "one". it appeared 44 times. It was a good read, but trying to write like an english aristocrat didn't help.

Mango  # 4 | 03.02.2006 12:54

I wonder if 'one' is certified in English at 'WAEC-Level'. If yes, 'one' should consider asking for a refund from WAEC. lol. Good article, still. I'm not gay, and I don't really understand why a man wants to have sex with another man, considering the wonderful 'fronts' and 'backsides' with which our females are endowed. However it is not an issue that raises my blood pressure. It does not worry me. As the writer pointed out, it is not something that should worry us.

Nonyellum  # 5 | 03.02.2006 21:10

Wasted space. Hellooooooooooooooo? Is anything in your cranium? If you have nothing to contribute to the propagation of the human race why don't you go **** one of your homo friends. I was nice to you the last time by saying you work for an NGO. I take that back, you're actually the faggot; you look like one. Call yourself a man, you're nothing but a "fruit". You don't look like you can satisfy one woman talk less of two. What an insult to women! You can **** hard bricks all you want, no normal society will accept your ugly and unnatural lifestyle, hell no. Nobody wants to discuss deviant homosexual behavior with you, it's an aberration. There are standards and faggots have crossed the line. There's NOTHING to discuss. What's intellectual about homosexuality?. Don't you have better things to do than champion this lost cause? What a waste of valuable space.

Akinyi  # 6 | 04.02.2006 04:16

Nonyellum, I use to be homophobic. But I confronted my fears and did a serious research on the cause or causes of gay behavior. The findings were shocking. Also shocking was the places were gay sex happens so frequently though unspoken. My research made me understand in detail that gay behavior is biological. Though some are just a fade. Gays are accident of nature just like hermophrodites are a malfunction of dividing cells gone amock during the formation of a child. I wish you could find time and do some reading on this issue. Do you know that once BLACKS were thought to have smaller brains compared to whites and asians? That is just for you to ponder. Btw, did Orkar not accuse IBB of homosexuality?

Kenni  # 7 | 06.02.2006 07:33

Nonyelum, In All honesty you have stooped so low to display a very high level of illiteracy what a wasted education that is if you had any God its people like you that will make it practically possible for Nigeria to continue to re-progress instead of progressing its pointless joining issues with people like you, well all the same we need people like you to entertain us after all its people you in the national assembly who have suggested this barbaric legislation that has kept all of us going heaven knows what else you people will come up with. As for Crispin I still say well done for standing by your words you owe no one an apology and why should you? If any one is interested in taking up this issue with me one on one feel free to contact me my email address is kenni204@yahoo.com I will be waiting to read from you and possibly meet with you on an open forum. Thanks Kenni Dartford UK

Nonyellum  # 8 | 06.02.2006 20:15

@Kenny, Homosexuality is a sin. I'd rather remain backward than sanction homosexual marriage, yuuck. Homosexuality is NOT genetic(Re: Akinyi), there's no homosexual gene, otherwise the medical world would've foisted this aberration on us majority normal folks. Homosexuality still remains a choice, it's a learned behavior. Most normal folks like me abhor homosexuality, the act. I can separate the act from the person. That I love someone is not enough reason for me to give legitimacy to / sanction an abhorrent, deviant behavior (homosexuality) that will subsequently kill them. Continue to delude yourself, you faggot. You can swallow the lie the "fruits" dish out to justify their dirty / sick lifestyle, to hoodwink gullible minds like yours; it's your funeral. I do not hate you as a person, I hate what you do to your body and the harm you cause other men, in the quest of to satisfy some deviant sexual urge. Peruse this: Rare Chlamydia Strain Infecting Gay Men From Associated Press February 06, 2006 5:06 PM EST WASHINGTON - A particularly bad strain of chlamydia not usually seen in this country appears to be slowly spreading among gay and bisexual men, an infection that can increase their chances of getting or spreading the AIDS virus. Called LGV chlamydia, this sexually transmitted disease has caused a worrisome outbreak in Europe, where some countries have confirmed dozens of cases. Diagnoses confirmed by U.S. health officials still are low, just 27 since they warned a year ago that the strain was headed here. But specialists say that's undoubtedly a fraction of the infections, because this illness is incredibly hard to diagnose: Few U.S. clinics and laboratories can test for it. Painful symptoms can be mistaken for other illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome. And because LGV chlamydia doesn't always cause noticeable symptoms - right away, at least - an unknown number of people may silently harbor and spread it, along with an increased risk of HIV transmission. "My feeling is that what we're seeing now is still the tip of the iceberg," says Dr. Philippe Chiliade of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., which diagnosed its first few cases of LGV last month and is beginning to push for asymptomatic men to be screened. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already was counting an 8 percent increase in HIV among gay and bisexual men between 2003 and 2004, before LGV's arrival was recognized. "We are really concerned about this," says Dr. Catherine McLean of CDC's HIV and STD prevention program. Increasing the ability to test for LGV is "what's really critically important," she adds. "The prevalence of the disease is probably quite a bit higher than the reported cases indicate, either here or in Europe, but we don't yet know that." Three weeks of the antibiotic doxycycline effectively treats LGV. But patients have to know they're at risk, and then find a test. Chlamydia, caused by bacteria, is among the most common sexually transmitted diseases. As many as 3 million Americans a year may become infected with common strains, best known for causing infertility in women if left untreated. This more virulent strain is called "lymphogranuloma venereum," or LGV. It's not a new form, but one rarely seen outside of Africa or Southeast Asia. So STD specialists were stunned in late 2004, when the Netherlands announced an outbreak that reached over 100 cases; last summer, one clinic there reported seeing one to two new patients a week. Cases also have surfaced in much of Western Europe and Britain. As with the U.S. cases, many also have HIV. Symptoms differ from regular chlamydia: swollen lymph nodes in the groin; genital or rectal ulcers; and painful bowel movements and other gastrointestinal symptoms that may mimic inflammatory bowel disease. Such symptoms leave patients particularly susceptible to HIV infection if they also encounter that virus. LGV can infect both sexes, although new cases diagnosed so far are among men having sex with men. Screening requires nucleic acid testing, a complex type of genetic testing not yet commercially available for rectal use. The CDC then uses even more sophisticated testing to confirm the diagnosis. Because testing is difficult, no one knows how prevalent LGV truly is. In a surprise finding last fall, Dutch scientists tested some tissue samples stored in San Francisco since the 1980s, and found evidence that today's LGV strain had gone unrecognized at the time. So has it been simmering here all along, or is it on the rise? Regardless of how that question turns out, LGV is one more sexually transmitted illness that plays a role in HIV. Thus, the CDC is encouraging doctors who spot LGV symptoms to contact their local health department for help in finding a nearby testing lab, or in shipping samples to CDC for testing there. "But I don't want people to think you have to have severe pain," cautions Chiliade, whose clinic recently became authorized to offer the NAT rectal screening - and who recommends it for gay men who have had unprotected sex even if they feel no symptoms.--- This is just one of many, many, many "extras". AIDS was predominantly a disease in gay white men. What do we have now? It's an African problem now, and how did we get there?????? Keep deluding yourself, keep believing their lies until your race is wiped off the face of the earth. You people should really seek help, instead of believing the lie and expecting decent folks to blindly, AGAINST ALL NATURAL LAWS, take the dangerous plunge with your rebellious kind.

Obugi  # 9 | 06.02.2006 20:37

Nonye, I feel good knowing u only play on our team. Never mind these fruity sme sme ppl. How u dey? Where u dey since? :cry: Obugi.

Nonyellum  # 10 | 06.02.2006 21:15

=Akinyi>Nonyellum, I use to be homophobic. But I confronted my fears and did a serious research on the cause or causes of gay behavior. The findings were shocking. Also shocking was the places were gay sex happens so frequently though unspoken. My research made me understand in detail that gay behavior is biological. Though some are just a fade. Gays are accident of nature just like hermophrodites are a malfunction of dividing cells gone amock during the formation of a child. I wish you could find time and do some reading on this issue. Do you know that once BLACKS were thought to have smaller brains compared to whites and asians? That is just for you to ponder. Btw, did Orkar not accuse IBB of homosexuality? For your sake, please go do a balanced research. Leave those liberal journals alone, they'll mess up your mind. They'd turn the whole world into one huge sex orgy given half a chance. Homosexuality is deviant behavior, color it any shade you want, it's still ugly and unnatural. Don't fall for their emotional and civil right crap. What's wrong is wrong. There's no science to prove that homosexuality is genetic. Everything they've tried has come up empty. That's the reason they're choppiong away at society's moral fibers, with decadent, raunchy shows that live little to the imagination And you men can't have enough of it. You've been so numbed, you cannot tell right from wrong anymore. Love them but hate the act; homosexuality is a behavior, an act, NOT a PERSON. Don't let them confuse you. HIV Rising Again Among Homosexual Men, CDC Reports 12/7/2005 Brown University scandal at Queer Alliance party also highlights risky behavior. HIV/AIDS infections rose 8 percent among homosexual men in 2004 while other categories declined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report covered all HIV/AIDS contraction cases for the previous year as reported by 33 states’ health and human services departments, including, for the first time ever, statistical data from New York. Some 157,252 people were diagnosed during the time period, with 112,106 men and 45,146 women reporting positive for HIV/AIDS, The Washington Times reported. Homosexual men continue to account for the lion’s share of AIDS cases, with 44 percent of the three-year total between 2001 and last year, and 61 percent of overall male infections. Heterosexual contraction accounted for 34 percent of male cases, while intravenous drug use claimed 17 percent of those men infected. Some of the categories overlap, with authorities unsure whether some men contracted HIV through sex or needle sharing. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) responded belligerently to the new CDC data. In a press release, NGLTF Executive Director Matt Foreman blamed the Bush administration for the predominance of HIV/AIDS infections in the black community: The CDC data — like the aftermath of Katrina – underscore the profound racial injustices that continue to afflict our nation. No feeling person can be anything but appalled that African Americans are becoming infected with HIV at a rate eight times that of white people. Clearly, the Bush administration’s de-funding, de-prioritizing, and de-gaying HIV prevention programs has been nothing short of a disaster.“Mr. Foreman is singing the same old tune, trying to play a race card, when he knows full well the problem is the risky behavior that he and his organization promote as healthy and normal,” said Robert Knight, Director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute. “NGLTF and other homosexual pressure groups for years have opposed sound medical responses such as partner tracing and early diagnosis, and instead continue to advocate throwing ever more condoms at the problem.”

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---