By Latiifah Amusan
The House of Representatives has issued a call for Federal and State Governments to completely ban educational materials related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) topics throughout Nigeria.
This resolution follows a motion titled ‘Ban on inappropriate educational materials in nursery and pre-primary schools in Nigeria,’ sponsored by Hon. Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi.
The motion raised concerns about the increasing influx of foreign educational materials into Nigerian nursery and primary schools that promote morals deemed incompatible with the country’s cherished norms and values.
One particular book, ‘Queen Primer,’ was singled out for introducing terms like ‘gay’ and ‘eros,’ which were seen as inappropriate for young children.
The House members expressed the need to protect moral values and uphold the laws of the land.
They emphasized that it’s essential to resist the use of educational materials that teach or promote behaviors considered alien and in violation of Nigerian laws and moral values, particularly in primary and nursery schools.
Hon. Sada Soli praised the motion for addressing the confusion and distress that unfamiliar knowledge could cause in children.
He stressed that Nigerian laws and religious beliefs are against such inappropriate contents.
Hon. Olumide Osoba argued that the use of LGBT terminology goes against Nigerian cultural values and criticized Western countries for pressuring African nations to accept them.
Hon. Anthony called for full censorship and monitoring of such content, extending it to secondary and tertiary institutions, fearing that these materials could harm society.
Hon. Ibrahim Aliyu expressed concern about the moral decay in Nigerian society and called for strict monitoring of what children are exposed to through publications and the internet.
Hon. Mohammed el-Rufai narrated how he moved his daughter out of a school when he found that it neglected values he believed in.
He also pointed out that some television programs subtly introduce alien values to unsuspecting individuals.
Many House members called on Nigerians to be vigilant about what their children are taught, urged State Governors to monitor and, if necessary, shut down schools that fail in this regard.
They emphasized that parents should play an active role in monitoring literature, programs, and content their children consume.
House members stressed the need to enforce relevant laws against same-sex marriage or courtship in Nigerian society.
They emphasized that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and should not succumb to external pressure.
After a robust debate, the motion was referred to the House Committee on Basic Education for further legislative action.
The House has mandated the Federal Ministry of Education, the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council, and the Education Research Council (ERC) to carefully vet and censor the contents of educational materials used in nursery and primary schools in the country, ensuring that they are appropriate and devoid of any connotation of immoral behavior.
