“For the loyal readers of my blog, I offer my sincerest apology for the recent break in transmission on this blog. I am sure some of you must be wondering why and also eagerly anticipating my next post with bated breaths. I want to assure you that from now on, I will do my utmost to keep them coming regularly.” This would have been my opening statement for today’s post if this was a much more popular and widely read blog. Nevertheless, I still appreciate those who eke out the little time and internet data that it cost to read my posts. I really hope I have been able to, at the very least, instigate thought provoking reactions that may initiate progressive attitudes towards this country. I encourage you to leave your criticisms, additions, subtractions, corrections or comments afterwards.
Sometime last year, when I decided to start blogging; the picture I had in mind was that of a blog with a followership numbering in the thousands; I could almost see myself as an inspirational figure catalyzing ground breaking changes in Nigeria’s political terrain. I remember countless debates where I would discuss, argue and make jokes about recent developments in the country with friends. I remember thinking to myself “criticizing is so easy, can I really guarantee anything different or better if given the chance?” Sadly, the answer is no. It gets worse; this is true for many if not most of us. By ‘us’, I mean those of us in the latter part of our 2nd decade or early part of our 3rd decade on earth. Simply put, my reason for starting this blog is to contribute to the intellectual revolution which I believe is the only option for Nigeria when this current political contraption goes kaput!
In any write-up or series of write-ups, the introduction should always be the first thing. Maybe I was just being overzealous in the pursuit of my dream that I mistakenly put the cart before the horse. In my enthusiasm to publish my first article then, I did not take the time to explain fully what this blog would be about. By now, it is clear to anyone who has had a glance through this blog what it’s about. Action speaks louder than words; in this case, doing the actual writing speaks louder than talking about writing.
Apparently, I am not the only one guilty of said offense. The National Assembly and the executive of the federal Government of Nigeria are equally guilty of misplacing their priorities. I believe there are other bills in the National Assembly that may have meaningful impact on the lives of numerous Nigerians which could have been given the speedy instead of the ‘anti-gay bill’ which only worsens the lot of an already stigmatized group in the country.
Having put forward this kind of opinion, I am aware that I may have placed a prominent bull’s eye on myself. Chief among those lying in wait to take a shot at me will be my Christian brethren. My Muslim friends may also partake in the melee. Now would be a good time to state, emphatically, that I AM A CATHOLIC. I believe homosexuality to be an aberration of the normal, a mental deformity in other words; though I am also ashamed to confess that I may be biased against someone simply because he/she is homosexual turning a blind eye to the other possibly good qualities he/she may possess; that still doesn’t give me the right to enforce my religion’s laws on other citizens. In the same vein, some accepted practices among Christians are seen as ‘haram’ by Muslims but that does not give them the right to legally criminalize such actions. Therefore, it is inappropriate to make laws binding on the whole federation based on religious sentiments, especially in a multicultural and secular state like Nigeria
In my next post, I will publish some arguments for and against the actions of the Federal Government with respect to this issue; some of them will be mine while others I gathered from the social media.
