By Folayemi Ajanaku
In the sixties, seventies, I can remember how innocently boys played with boys, holding hands, hugging, tugging, playing rough and spending a lot of time together in private and in public and no one ever suspected, nor did it cross the minds of their parents, family, neighbours or church members that homosexuality could be at play. It was not even thought of, either by the boys hanging out together or by their friends. Being gay was not even an idea or concept that ever entered their innocent minds. Boys would spend time together swimming in a swimming pool or in a river and had fun.
Boys would go clubbing together, attend strings of parties in the city and eat at Bukas or eateries together innocently without a hint of sexual immorality at all. Boys will be boys they used to say, when they see them chasing after girls, coveting sex and having sexual banter with girls or sharing a bottle of beer, partying with girls, dating one here and another there. That was the way. It was the norm. You hear parents and elders say; “leave them alone boys must be boys…” – Alas those days are long gone!
Something happened to society as we crossed into the eighties and that thing grew bold, & wild, and became immoral and dangerous by the time the eighties came. From then on, nothing was sacred. Boundaries were being crossed. The concept of being gay became the norm. Boys were having sex with boys, kissing in public, cross-dressing, touching, holding hands like married couples and with a brazen attitude throw parties and have sexual orgies to their heart’s content. Seeds of immorality sown by exposure to Western culture and gays and lesbian had invaded our culture. Something changed. Something bad had entered our land at night and it was a sinister force that seemed unstoppable, even now.
It is no longer hidden. Gays and lesbians became bold in our society. Now we have no safe space. We became Westernised and our sons and daughters have adopted an alien culture. Our ancestors shudder in their graves at what happened to us and to our formerly innocent children.
We have to give credit to bold men like the former President Jonathan Goodluck who despite Western pressure, political pressure and threats, on 13 January 2014, proceeded to sign into law the now famous law imposing up to 14 years in jail for gay relationships.
The US criticised Jonathan Goodluck’s crackdown on ‘amorous relationships,’ gay marriages and belonging to gay rights groups. The bill criminalises same-sex relationships, defying western pressure over gay rights and provoking criticism.
The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the national assembly and Jonathan who had delayed signing it into law, finally did so.
I came across an article online in the Gay Pride Nigeria, (Link: https://www.gaypridenigeria.org/bayode.html ), titled: “The Bad Boys” in which I quote:
“Such was the nightmare experienced by Temitope Olusoji Bayode and Olatunde Olusoga, on the morning of the 16th of January, 2022. Temitope had been visiting Olatunde and they had a lot of drinks with their friends the night before and was said to have slept with each other but was reported to have been found naked on top of one another in the early hours of the morning by Olatunde’s Mother, who is a church pastor.
She was shocked and she raised an alarm by screaming violently to find her son naked, having sex with Temitope. The said lady Pastor raised the alarm, calling other people in the house as well neighbours to come and see the two men, naked to the waist and according to her, and performing anal sexual acts and oral sex on one another ….”
Though, the article in question, seems sympathetic to the plight of the gay boys, naturally, it is a gay magazine. My bone of contention apart from the fact that the likes of Temitope Bayode flouted our laws with impunity as so many others still do today across the land today, what will it take to make our children stop being gay? Islam is not helping them change. Christianity appears unable to cast out such demons from our sons. So, what will it take?
Someone said to me the other day, that perhaps our law should be changed where the minimum sentence for being gay should be 28 years instead of 14 years and perhaps life sentence should be considered. In Iran and in other Arab countries, gay people know that they will die for being gay. It makes them think twice before becoming gay or a lesbian for that matter. What do you think?
Many of our children have run away overseas to the United Kingdom, United States of America, European Union, Australia, Canada and other gay friendly nations. Apparently, they want to be free to continue to practise immorality and have the freedom to engage in oral sex, anal sex and commit Sodomy against the order of nature. How abhorrent?
2014 – 2024 is ten solid years since President Jonathan Goodluck’s brave move. Who will make the next move to save our land and save our children? Are our lawmakers willing to move matters to the next level?
Now, that is the question.