Nigeria on a Markova Random Walk on Same-Sex Unions

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, Prof.R.A Ipinyomi Tuesday, February 4th, 2014

By Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

The simple random walk is characterised by a motion that moves either forward or backward with some constant probability at any given time. At each movement we try to determine the progression of the overall motion leading to our estimate of a final success or failure. Nigeria progression in socio-economic development is rather more complex to visualise because it tends to be characterised mostly with several steps backward and only a step forward occasionally. Nigeria is a unique society, loved by Nigerians but hated by many other nations and praised by none. The society is dominated by serial missed opportunities because at crucial times when the forward steps are required several backward steps always result. Hence Nigeria is a giant like Goliath that is always easily knocked out of the game by a small inexperience nation like David.

For example, whereas other countries are taking informed data based decisions to run their societies efficiently Nigeria still prefers to ignore facts and act arbitrarily on issues like same-sex marriages, education funding, early marriages, energy and infrastructural provisions and developments, etc. The law makers are very distant from the people they claim to be representing and therefore they cannot speak for or decide on their behalf. Even though we are experiencing unrest and intolerance indicated by the Boko Haram continuous wars there is no indication that the solution is a National Conference. Many people made money from this type of national conference before in recent times but their findings and submissions are kept away from the public and never implemented. Nigeria is not lacking in matters of written policies but their implementations.

In another vein the recent increasing numbers of population-based surveys in the United States and across the world include questions that allow for an estimate of the size of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population. Such a survey would have allowed discussions and challenges associated with collecting, analysing and projecting the inferences for better information about the LGBT community prevailing in Nigeria. A national decision may thereafter be promulgated and signed into law after the due process. As it were it appears that both the legislators and the presidency went ahead to sign a law that has grave penalty against offenders but without supporting their action either with popular demand from the people or to indicate that such people pose a significant threat to the society. When we add this lack of informed decision based action to the fact that most of our past and present presidents and elected officials practice polygamy and other moral ills it makes their decision a laughing stock in the international arena. We expect the women society to use this opportunity to demand the national assembly and the executive to go the whole distance by banning polygamy with equal stiff penalties as required. They are both evil sexual behaviours. I have always condemned the LGBT society at an individual level but politicians are there to protect every segment of the society from private individual condemnation. Someone who has disintegrated to having sexual relationship with fellow same-sex or with animals on the street has a big burden on their heads already. The nation must not add more burdens. We had equally condemned president Obama for opening this floodgate from his very liberal political and social view points, but overall Obama is consistent in his politics and won himself a Noble Prize earlier on assuming office. Let those who signed this law or those who are going to enforce it tell us how many wives they keep at home or if they are the only wife of their husband. Our society has no moral standing on issue requiring it.

What are we talking about? That Nigeria does not deserve to set a moral standard for this drowning generation? No this straying away generation needs a guide and one should come sooner rather than later before the eventual catastrophic events. The initial preparations for delving into such deep intellectual concepts, especially concepts of moral issues like same-sex or polygamy marriages require strenuous effort of the body to be rid of one’s delight in worldly matters holistically. We are either a moral society or we remain liberal as any other nation. A society that wants to lead others on moral intellects should start from a strenuous effort of the soul to stimulate delight in intellectual pursuit in general, and in godly matters in particular. Unfortunately Nigeria is lacking in both types of preparation. We wash the outsides of the cups but the insides are dirty full of dead bones of the innocents. The wrong people are rewarded and many hardworking citizens go hungry because they refuse to join the ranks of daylight office robbers. We cannot dictate who should marry who based on our destroyed value system.

Politicians are to pursue the agenda that everything created by Nature are given a right of existence, including living and non-living things. These rights can be termed stone rights, animal rights, human rights, and the rest or also the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender (LGBT) deserve the necessary basic human and civil rights. This allows that each person qualified to exist and practice as we individually are. For example, I am a Nigerian, a Christian and I am heterosexual and therefore I am qualified to open up and benefit from my claims. Someone else may also claim that he/she is a Nigerian, worshipping the Iron and homosexual and must be accorded reorganization and rights to so associate and practice. This should be the beginning of the argument. Politicians, public administrators, police force and all social workers are to ensure the protection of every citizen. If governments can recognise such civil unions with provisions in the constitutions the amount of discrimination facing LGBT and their sympathisers may be less. We will also have access to estimate their populations around the globe. Research into this area about their populations, spread and special distributions, mental physic, religious persuasions, formation, and the like is still scanty mainly because they operate in fears, secrecy and hearts of guilt. Many of them know things are not right but could not help themselves. Others already went far away from anything near norm and adding the concept of sexuality to it cannot make their state worse in any way. Many are helpless but they know they err.

The Nigeria public quickly praised their government for taken a right step on issue that the majority of the people considered un-African. We agree with the general public that find self expression in the law banning the open existence of LGBT society already increasing geometrically in every society. However I think that our government has gone out of its way leaving the things that could build our society better and pursuing only a few things the society would easily agree on. There is no godly society that would approve the LGBT society as right on the face of moral but every society is now looking at LGBT society with open and understanding mind so that it can be assisted. I want to claim that if you take a member of LGBT to Prophet T. B. Joshua of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) Lagos in Nigeria the moment that individual leaves the SCOAN premises he or she would no more be in the LGBT society. This is an indication that concept is temporal, spiritual and not only built on moral concepts alone. Politicians are to understand their society and provide the needed assistance and building blocks.

Prof. R.A. Ipinyomi,

ipinyomira@yahoo.co.uk or/and raipinyomi@unilorin.edu.ng