TVC E. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who signed a sweeping Anti-same sex bill into Nigeria law in 2014 suggested on Wednesday, June the 1st, 2016 that the provision could be revisited in the name of promoting equality.
The ex-president who lost his bid for a second term in April 2015, made the remarks during an event hosted by Bloomberg in London. it also criminalized promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights or even public displays of affection between people of the same sex. The bill provided for punishments of up to 14 years in prison, and its passage was followed by a wave of arrests and violence targeting people alleged to be LGBT.
In his Wednesday comments, Goodluck Jonathan noted that the law had been passed unanimously by the National Assembly and enjoyed widespread popular support. But, he said, “in the light of deepening debates for all Nigerians and other citizens of the world to be treated equally and without discrimination, and with the clear knowledge that the issue of sexual orientation is still evolving, the nation may, at the appropriate time, revisit the law.”
In his remarks, which were cast as a reflection on citizenship and democracy, Jonathan also called for Nigeria to enact a bill of rights to “end discrimination and tribalism, and promote equality, enabling everyone to work towards the common goal for the development of the nation.”
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