The Federal Government will soon present its position on death penalty and same intercourse marriage to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said this yesterday while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Maku said a committee headed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, had been set up to come up with a draft report.
The impending Second Circle Universal Periodic Review Report to the United Nations Human Rights Council is presented every four years.
According to the minister, every country that is signatory to the United Nations Charter presents a report every four years stating the profile of the human rights situation and what governments and communities are doing to promote the enforcement of universal human rights across the world.
Maku noted that substantial progress had been made in terms of the position of the government on death penalty issue, adding that there were still philosophical, fundamental differences of opinion on the matter.
He said: "There are still issues within our statutes that we need to resolve. It is not only Nigeria, even United States and several other countries have not yet abolished death penalty; it is something to be pursued. We will need time, change in attitude, change in perceptions and change in laws for abolition of death penalty to be a reality.
"In relation to the same intercourse marriage, we still have very fundamental differences within our country and so we are trying to look into it to see the position Nigeria will take.
"The problem with same intercourse marriage, as at now, is that all sections to the Nigerian society, traditional society, the Muslim community, the Christian community, virtually all that make up nearly 100 per cent of the Nigerian population are still diametrically opposed to the concept of same intercourse marriage. It is not easy to enforce a value that is strange to our society."
The minister also disclosed that the council deliberated on the approval of N50 billion for the completion of various constituency projects across the country which would have positive impact on the lives of the people.
He disclosed that N50 billion had been set aside out of N100 billion in the 2013 budget for constituency projects that would take the dividends of democracy to the people at the grassroots.
Earlier before the commencement of the FEC meeting, President of Sierra- Leone, Dr. Bai Koroma, conferred the honour of the Grand Patron of the West Africa Insurance Institute, WAII, on Jonathan.
Koroma said the honour was in recognition of the leading role Nigeria had played in the affairs of West Africa, particularly in the support provided in the establishment and functioning of the WAII.
National Mirror