Calllaris Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Link: http://www.washingto...-homosexuality/ A Nigerian man claims a theological school expelled him last fall after administrators accused him of being gay. Ododo Sylvester sent the Washington Blade a copy of an Oct. 28, 2014, letter from the Ezekiel College of Theology that claims he confessed to Rt. Rev. Williams O. Aladekugbe, who was the dean of the school, inside his apartment with his wife present that he “had practiced homosexuality before while you were in the secondary school” and that he still has “sexual urge for both male and female sexes.” The letter claims that Sylvester masturbates whenever he has a “feeling for sexual urge” and that he is a “TB” (top and bottom) person. Sylvester, who is also known by the nickname Saintodosly, told the Blade during a recent telephone interview from Lagos that Aladekugbe used his brother and six students to set him up. “They had suspected before based on the firm belief that people of same-sex orientation should not be discriminated by the church,” said Sylvester. “That is what I always said to this school and it was at this school that people should not be discriminated. When they asked me, I said they should not be discriminated.” Sylvester, 30, had nearly completed his studies to become a minister within Nigeria’s Anglican Church when the Ezekiel College of Theology expelled him. He told the Blade that his half-sister and her husband, who is a venerable within the church, subsequently threatened to kill him. Sylvester said another half-sister met with his mother “in order to convince her to disown me.”. A priest later told him in a hand-written note that he had “been instructed that you should not partake in the communion.” Sylvester told the Blade he returned to his home village in Delta State in order to obtain money to get a visa that would allow him to leave the country. Sylvester said he petitioned the church to reconsider the decision to expel him. A Dec. 5, 2014, letter to Sylvester from Rev. Canon Ifeanyi Akunna, secretary to the Primate of the Nigerian Anglican Church, indicates that officials had received his request. Akunna wrote Sylvester for a second time a few weeks later. “I wish to inform you that your petition is receiving a due attention,” said Akunna. “I will get back to you as soon as it is necessary.” Sylvester told the Blade that Aladekugbe threatened him on the telephone. He said the bishop’s lawyer also said he would sue him if he continued to pursue the issue. “If I continued to worry the primate about this matter and I did not keep quiet that my life is going to be disposed,” said Sylvester. Sylvester said a group of men attacked him earlier this year after he had challenged his expulsion. Sylvester provided the Blade with pictures of the injuries he said he suffered during the incident. “I was so scared that those people were armed robbers,” he said. Sylvester fled from his hometown to Lagos, where he said a Nigerian human rights group took him to what he described as a safe house in the nearby city of Ibadan. He told the Blade the advocates left him alone for a month and he nearly died — in part — because he was unable to obtain antiretroviral drugs to treat his HIV. Sylvester said he was forced to travel to Benin, a country that borders Nigeria, to receive his medications. “They said they cannot provide me a job and I should go and look for something I can do by myself,” said Sylvester. “They cannot give me any assets to collect my drugs.” Sylvester told the Blade he has not worked in three months, and remains afraid for his safety. He said he is also unable to complete his studies to become a minister because all of the country’s theological schools are copied on his expulsion letter. “God called me to become a minister,” said Sylvester, who said he would like to leave Nigeria. “Here in Lagos I’m just attaching myself with these friends who I’ve known before in the past,” he told the Blade. “It’s adding more to my problem that I’m facing. If it is possible for me to vanish, I shall vanish from the country.” Neither the Ezekiel School of Theology, nor the Nigerian Anglican Church returned the Blade’s requests for comment. Nigeria’s LGBT rights record came under increased scrutiny in January 2014 when then-President Goodluck Jonathan signed a law that, among other things, punishes those who enter into a same-sex marriage with up to 14 years in prison. Nigerian Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon last month became secretary general of the Anglican Communion. He criticized people of “abnormal sexual orientation” in 2007 and strongly opposed the consecration of then-New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson four years earlier because he is openly gay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dequeen Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Hmmmm. poor man. Nigerian churches will be first on the line to hell for being judgemental . They still cry in different ways today the same phrase they cried in ancient days,"Crucify him! Crucify him!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators FlyJ Posted May 8, 2015 Administrators Share Posted May 8, 2015 Very sad for him. I really do hope that he leaves the Country soon. You can never win a case like this in Nigeria. It is almost impossible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calllaris Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Very sad for him. I really do hope that he leaves the Country soon. You can never win a case like this in Nigeria. It is almost impossible. I agree you won't win. Propaganda will help. What is wrong is wrong. Let the final judge come. To leave your country at age thirty (30) will even confuse an observer, then a victim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suavity Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 The man should have calm down, he knows the country he lives in,it is useless fighting for any right here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calllaris Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 The man should have calm down, he knows the country he lives in,it is useless fighting for any right here. Perhaps the closet became very hot. Same reason people leave their home country for months, to live free. ly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savvy Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Is he gay? Or they claim he is gay? If it's the former,then he's fighting a lost battle...who are we kidding? this is naija If it's the latter,then the Blade *wonder what or whom that is* really has to look into the matter and get to the root of it. Whichever it is though,this is why most people would rather remain in the closet than come out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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