The lawmakers say lax implementation of existing laws has encouraged the use of LGBTXA content in educational materials used in nursery and primary schools.
The House of Representatives has asked the federal government to ban educational materials containing words that promote Lesbianism, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Asexual (LGBTQA) orientations in schools throughout Nigeria.
The lawmakers expressed concern about the influx of foreign educational materials which are “alien and inimical to our cherished norms and values.”
The House also demanded that the production and importation of such books should also be prohibited.
These resolutions were made at Thursday’s plenary following a motion titled, “Ban on Inappropriate Educational Materials in Nursery and Pre-Primary Schools in Nigeria.”
In his lead debate, the bill’s sponsor, Abubakar Gumi (PDP, Zamfara), observed that the “widely used book, ‘Queen Primer’ subtly introduces terms such as ‘gay’, ‘eros’, etc, that communize sexual perversion and immoral behaviours, thus exposing innocent children to terms inappropriate for their age, which is unlawful, unethical, highly immoral and antithetical to child upbringing.”
“There’s need to instil and protect moral values in children and society at large by resisting the use of educational materials that teach or promote any form of alien behaviour which violates the laws and moral values in all educational institutions, especially in the nursery and primary schools.”
Also speaking on the motion, Ibrahim Isiaka (APC, Ogun), expressed concern about the growing disregard for morals and culture.
“We started seeing the tides of this when schools were seized from the missionaries. The moral decadence that exist currently is unspeakable. UBEC has a critical role to play as they regulate the books used an the primary level,” he said.
Also, Ajibola Muraina (PDP, Oyo), in his contribution, urged for the implementation of existing laws against LGBTQA.
He also urged education regulatory bodies to regulate and monitor books distributed to all levels of institution across the country.
“This problem can be solved if we decide to implement the existing laws of this country,” he noted.
To this end, the House asked the Federal Ministry of Education. and the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to carefully vet and censor the contents of educational materials used in nursery and primary schools in the country.
They also directed the Committee on Basic Education to ensure compliance.
Nigeria enacted the same sex prohibition law in 2014 that abhors LGBTQA practices across the country.
