From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Human Rights Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has advised the Federal Government to constitute a governing body of the National Human Rights Commission.
The NGO also appealed for the unbundling of the Ministry of Information and Culture, saying that the country’s cultural heritage has not been given adequate attention in terms of preservation and promotion.
HURIWA National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko, who addressed reporters in Abuja, spoke on an alleged push for same-sex marriage and legalisation of abortion by Amnesty International (AI).
Onwubiko explained that the formation of the governing body would curb rising cases of rights abuses and promote Nigeria’s cultural heritage and give no room for same-sex marriage and abortion.
He maintained that if adequate attention and sensitisation is not given to Nigerian culture and norms, the proposed introduction of same-sex marriage and legalisation of abortion would surreptitiously become a norm.
‘We need to unbundle our Ministry of Information and Culture and [have] the minister sacked. Culture should be on its own.
‘It is our belief that Amnesty International, which has authored many damning reports against the Nigerian Army, is not a fit and proper organisation to do so given their now advertised notorious trilogy of anti-African culture objectives such as promoting recognition of same-sex relationship, promoting abortion rights.
‘We are now convinced that the aim of all these reports are targeted at destroying Nigeria or blackmailing Nigeria to unban same-sex relationship and permit abortions which are offensive to our core constitutionally mandated obligations on government to preserve, promote and uplift our cultures and traditions which are at variance with international human rights law.
‘We ask our members of Amnesty International to denounce such affiliations, and we will ask the National Assembly to pass a resolution condemning these stated objectives of Amnesty International.
‘However, we have no problem with them operating here since there is freedom of association but we are asking anyone who love Nigeria to stay away from Amnesty International because their stated objectives are at variance with our constitutional and cultural norms,’ he said.