Gay Rights Policy and the United States-Nigeria Diplomatic Relations.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VII, July 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Gay Rights Policy and the United States-Nigeria Diplomatic Relations.

Akuche, Andre Ben-Moses
Assistant Lecturer, Department of International Relations,
Madonna University, Nigeria.

Abstract
The study assessed the nexus between gay rights policy and the United States-Nigeria diplomatic relations, 2006-2015. Relations between both countries have been cordial except during military rule in Nigeria. The low moments of their diplomatic relations since democratic rule in 1999 was evident during 2013-2015 and it was centered on the controversy generated especially, by the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2013 and failed leadership. Hence, the study specifically, is to (i) ascertain whether the criminalisation of gay rights in Nigeria undermined the existing diplomatic relations between the United States and Nigeria, and, to (ii) determine whether leadership role in Nigeria accounted for the pressure by the United States for the decriminalisation of gay rights in Nigeria. The theoretical perspective of this study is rooted in the ‘centre-periphery’ theory of structural imperialism by Johan Galtung and adopted the documentary methods of data collection and content analysis as its methods of data analysis. This study found out that, the gay rights policy undermined diplomatic relations between both countries and that, the leadership role in Nigeria accounted for the pressure by the United States for the decriminalisation of gay rights in Nigeria. The study recommends among others that, the Nigerian government should formulate citizen-centric policies instead of policies that have no direct benefits to the generality of Nigerians such as the anti-gay laws. Also, over dependence on foreign aid from countries seeking to influence Nigeria’s domestic politics should be discouraged.

Keywords: Gay rights policy, United States-Nigeria relations, Same-Sex Marriage, Criminalisation, Decriminalisation

Introduction

The gay rights policy in western and advanced democracies is one that has drawn much attention globally in the past two decades. The United States of America (U.S.), as one of the leading democratic states in the international arena, is religiously pursuing the promotion of gay rights as its foreign policy in a bid to protect the human rights (non-discrimination and equality) of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) persons. The immediate past President of the U.S., Barack Obama, during an address to the United Nations General Assembly in 2011, made a foreign policy statement concerning gay rights, thus:

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