In 2013, an iconic picture of two ladies
kissing before anti-gay marriage protesters in Marseille, France, went
viral. That act of defiance before an assembly of mostly old ladies was
to demonstrate an inviolable right to private life and choice. It was
largely the fear of this sort of freedom that spurred the Nigerian
Senate to embark on pushing a bill to criminalise activities relating to
homosexuality with draconian measures.
The climax of the saga occurred on
Monday, January 13 when the Special Adviser to President Goodluck
Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, announced that the
President had signed the bill into law.