US President, Barack Obama has said he will continue to pressure African leaders on the need to recognize gay rights and end discrimination.
Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari is said to have refused suggestions on the same-sex issue ‘point blank’ after a US official said Nigeria would be compelled to legalize gay marriage. In return Obama refused to sell weapons to Nigeria citing human rights abuse .
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President Muhammadu Buhari holds joint press conference with US Secretary of State, John Kerry on July 21, 2015.
(Twitter)
Obama expressed his sentiments on the issue to BBC ahead of a trip to his ancestral home in Kenya.
playU.S. President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One for travel to Kenya and Ethiopia from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland July 23, 2015 REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Reuters)
“I am not a fan of discrimination and bullying of anybody on the basis of race... religion... sexual orientation or gender,” he said.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield had said, on Monday, July 13, 2015 during a live-web chat with journalists, that Nigeria, as well as other governments with anti-gay legislations, would be pressured to change its stance on the issue.
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