Goodluck Jonathan

====2014 Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act====
In January 2014, Jonathan signed into law the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act after it was passed by the [[Senate (Nigeria)|Senate]] and [[House of Representatives (Nigeria)|House of Representatives]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} The law prohibits gay relationships, membership and other involvement in gay societies and organisations and gay marriages. The bill came after international polls showed that 98% of Nigerians did not think homosexuality should be accepted by society, the highest percentage of any country surveyed.<ref name=":1222">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/why-nigeria-banned-gay-marriage-and-gay-meetings-2014-1|title=The simple reason Nigeria just banned gay marriage and gay meetings|date=14 January 2014|website=Business Insider|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206094009/http://www.businessinsider.com/why-nigeria-banned-gay-marriage-and-gay-meetings-2014-1|archive-date=6 February 2015}}</ref> Penalties can be up to 14 years in prison for gay marriages and up to 10 years for other violations of the law.<ref>[[Associated Press]] (13 January 2014) [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/13/nigerian-president-signs-anti-gay-law Nigeria's president signs law imposing up to 14 years' jail for gay relationships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224234020/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/13/nigerian-president-signs-anti-gay-law|date=24 February 2017}} ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved 18 January 2014.</ref> Within a short period, the federal police department compiled a list of 168 gay people who would subsequently be jailed. Within days 38 lesbian and gay people had been jailed, with arrests beginning during Christmas. The anti-[[LGBT]] bill stipulates that those who withhold the details of LGBT individuals face prison terms of up to five years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/13/nigerian-president-signs-anti-gay-law|title=Nigeria's president signs law imposing up to 14 years' jail for gay relationships|date=13 January 2014|work=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210150816/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/13/nigerian-president-signs-anti-gay-law|archive-date=10 February 2014|access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> His decision and the law itself have been described as controversial,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/nigerias-religious-leaders-welcome-controversial-anti-gay-law/2014/01/16/12485d88-7ef7-11e3-97d3-b9925ce2c57b_story.html|title=Nigeria's religious leaders welcome controversial anti-gay law|author=Fredrick Nzwili|date=16 January 2014|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=29 August 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021011029/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/nigerias-religious-leaders-welcome-controversial-anti-gay-law/2014/01/16/12485d88-7ef7-11e3-97d3-b9925ce2c57b_story.html|archive-date=21 October 2016}}</ref> but according to a poll, 92% of Nigerians supported the ban.<ref name=":1222" />