An Open Letter To Gays And Lesbians - 'Wede Agbaji

I am constrained to make this an open letter for a number of reasons. One, I've been inundated on the social media on my opinion on the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill recently assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan. Two, knowing full that silent is consent, my silence could be misconstrued to mean that I am gay or sympathetic to their cause and have gone 'underground'. Three, I have siblings on the social media who earnestly await my response since they look up to me as their role model. Four, this is the right channel to pass my message across to my friends in the Diaspora, especially those who have threatened fire and brimstone to our dear President.
As far as I am concerned, there is no neutrality on gay issues, you are either for or against it. As for me, Owede, son of Pa Agbajileke, I'm 100% in support of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. For the avoidance of doubt, I would rather be a chronic womanizer than a gay with just one partner.

I understand the United States, United Kingdom, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon and a host of international organizations have all expressed disappointment at Jonathan and to show their disgust, the Canadian government had cancelled Mr President's State Visit to their country.

If they mean well for the gay community in Nigeria, they should allow Nigerian gays to relocate to their countries to avoid being prosecuted or persecuted due to Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Law. Like the saying goes: 'Action speaks louder than words'.

However, they should be ready for the backlash, as 99% of those in support of GEJ on this issue will turn around 360 Degrees and say he(Jonathan) is 'clueless'. Consequently, the population of Nigeria will reduce from 160million to less than 50,000, as every Ajayi, Musa and Emeka will suddenly claim being 'gay'. In fact, parents will practically force their heterosexual children to claim being gay so as to benefit from the 'largesse'.

I am also flabberwhelmed at the subtle and diplomatic approach from some men of God on this issue. Rather come hard on gays, you hear something like "Judge not and ye shall not be judged", "gays will go to heaven" blah, blah, blah. Prophet T.B Joshua falls into this category. Even as a Catholic, I feel disappointed by the response of Pope Francis as well as the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria-cum Archbishop of Jos, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama on this matter. Hear what Archbishop Kaigama said: "It is not a crime to be gay but gay union is a crime", while T.B. Joshua retorted: "Judge not and ye shall not be judged" and our own Pope submitted:"Who am I to judge them if they're seeking the Lord in good faith?"

I stand to be corrected, apart from our Islamic brothers who were unanimous in condemning homosexuality in its entirety, it appears to me our Christian clerics are adopting a sidon-look approach by being neutral. They would allow gays worship in Churches side-by-side heterosexuals pending when they 'repent' and disregard the creation story of God made ADAM and EVE, not ADAM and STEVE or ADA and EVE.

At this juncture, I must commend ace comedian, Ali Baba (GCFR) for taking a hard stance on this. All other so-called celebrities have been silent. I am not also surprised that most, if not all, of my friends abroad are in support of gay rights, all in a bid to 'belong'. Like one of my Editors once said: 'A time will come when humans will seek right to date animals'. Very soon, they will no longer find any attraction in homosexuality. Then, they will go back to their Supreme Court to seek an interpretation of the Marriage Act to ensure it does not exclude marriage to cats, dogs, donkeys, pythons, monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees and even rats. As a preamble, there are films in circulation of white women having sex with some of the animals listed above.

But like the late human rights crusader, Gani Fawehinmi would say: 'Stand out from the crowd even if it means standing alone'. Maybe my fellas abroad stand the risk of being deported to Nigeria or declared persona non grata, hence their adoption of 'If you can't beat them, join them'. Check their Facebook account or Twitter handle, you will see something like: 'Gimme a break, gays have rights'. They are also fearful that the notoriously corrupt police will feed fat from it. For example, police can accost two guys in a car who refused to give them some few change and label them gay, students in the universities who share the same room are not left out, it provides dangerous grounds for massive infringement of fundamental rights, not only of homosexuals but
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people (LGBTIs)'. All in a bid to label us as being 'primitive and uncivilized', they would go the extra mile to blackmail us, hence it didn't come as a surprise to me when I read the story captioned: 'Diaspora professors ask US, UK, to punish Nigeria for criminalizing homosexuality'.

Without mincing words, the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Law in Nigeria is a right step in the right direction because I once lived in a compound where two married women with grown-up children would take their bath simultaneously in the same bathroom. The duo were neither separated nor divorced but still staying with their husband. Imagine watching a football game with your friends in your house and then your neighbour's wife comes in with wrapper tied to her chest, saying: "Abeg where your wife? Make she come make we go baff jare. The water don dey cold".

As a typical Isoko man, I will slice her body with Tolopia (cutlass).

My letter would be incomplete without a mention of this message that has gone viral on the Internet. It is addressed to President Barrack Obama, Prime Minister David Cameron and other proponents of gay marriage abroad and goes thus:
"You asked us to wear coat under hot sun, we did. You said we should speak your language, we obediently dumped ours. You asked us to tie a rope round our necks like goats, we obeyed. You said our ladies should wear dead people's hair instead of the natural ones God gave to them, they obeyed. You said we should marry just one woman in the midst of plenty damsels, we reluctantly obeyed. You said our decent girls should wear catapults instead of the conventional pants, they obeyed. Now you want our men to sleep with their brothers so that God would visit us like Sodom! Oyinbo, we say Tufiakwa! If you like, go and hug transformer we won't commit such an abominable act...very soon you would ask us to slap our mothers every morning!"

In conclusion, this question goes to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people (LGBTIs) or those sympathetic to them: would your parents had given birth to you if they were lesbians, gays?