LGBTQ IN NIGERIA: Kano House of Reps member threatens Legit with lawsuit over ‘libelous’ publication
A member of the House of Representatives representing the Sumaila/Takai constituencies of Kano State, Rabiu Yusuf, has threatened to institute legal action against Legit Nigerian News.
Legit Nigerian News is the publisher of Legit and Legit Hausa, both online news blogs.
The lawmaker, in a letter sent to the publishers by his lawyers, Messrs. Ahmad Musa & Co on Friday, claimed that his reputation was impugned upon by a ‘libelous’ publication in Legit Hausa of the same day.
According to the letter, which was titled PRE-ACTION NOTICE/DEMAND FOR WRITTEN APOLOGY AND RETRACTION OF LIBELOUS PUBLICATION AGAINST BARR. RABIU YUSUF (HON. MEMBER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES), the offensive publication in Legit Hausa with headline Auren Jinsi: Dan Majalisar Kano Na Neman Najeriya Ta Sa Hannu Kan Yarjejeniyar Samoa, misrepresented the position of the lawmaker on SAMOA Agreement and Nigeria’s consideration of being a signatory to it.
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Signed by Yusuf A. Faragai, the letter, a copy of which Nigerian Sketch saw, said “the publication deliberately targeted our client reputation in the discharge of his official duties…”, adding that “…your libelous and false publication had deeply injured the integrity of our client in the eyes of his constituents, the good people of Kano state and Nigeria at large…”
The issue
Hon. Rabiu Yusuf is the chairman of the House of Reps committee on treaties, protocol, and agreements, and while speaking on Thursday during a webinar organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) on considerations for Nigeria’s participation in the Samoa Agreement, he noted that the pact could have some benefits for the country.
He was however very emphatic on the need to remove some provisions that are incompatible with Nigerian values, cultures and religions.
He categorically said the agreement has been a difficult subject to discuss owing to the subtle ways it tests the country’s values.
“There are risks, but we need to analyse to know what outweighs the others to drive engagement with the EU and other Pacific countries,” he was quoted to have said.
He added, “We can make domestication conditional. The fear is that it (LGBTQ) is being given a clever and modified term. We don’t want to take it hook, line and sinker without understanding. It goes against our laws.”
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However, the heading of the publication in Legit Hausa gave the misleading impression that the lawmaker was advocating for the signing of an international agreement that will legalise LGBTQ in Nigeria.
LGBTQ is a knotty issue in most African countries who see it as immoral and against their cultural and religious values. Some African countries prohibited it outrightly, while others have stringent laws that could be hash as death sentence.
For some reasons however Western countries keep pushing for its adoption in Africa, giving support to groups that promote it and sponsoring legislative advocacies to make it legal.
Samoa Agreement
The Samoa Agreement is a partnership between the member countries of the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU).
The Agreement, which articulates the EU’s economic and trade relations with 79 countries (47 in Africa, 16 in the Caribbean and 15 in the Pacific, plus the Republic of Maldives), provides for six priority areas to address global challenges (democracy, gender equality and human rights, economic growth and sustainable development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security).
The agreement is intended to serve as an overarching legal framework for relations between the African, Caribean, and Pacific states (ACP) and the European Union (EU).
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The partnership is one of the oldest and most comprehensive frameworks for cooperation between the EU and third countries and succeeds the Cotonou Agreement signed in 2000.
Nigeria’s concerns
Nigeria opted out of signing the pact in November last year after some civil society organisations (CSOs) and groups raised concerns about Article 9 of the agreement, which says “respect for human rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law shall … constitute an essential element of this Agreement”.
The groups said the partnership was a “subtle introduction of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)” into the country, which they said Nigeria did not bargain for.
Rabiu Yusuf’s demand
The lawmaker’s lawyers said the publication in Legit Hausa has wrongly portrayed him as a representative who’s going against the will of his constituents. They said he has been psychologically affected by the false impression, and is demanding for remedial measures that include prompt retraction of the ‘libelous publication on your social media handles’; unreserved written apology within 24 hours of the demand letter been received; and publication of public apology with particular reference to the lawmakers’ constituents in two national dailies and online platforms.
They said non-compliance with their demands will lead to a civil lawsuit being instituted against the publishers of Legit Hausa.
