Victor Emmanuel is a queer Nigerian YouTuber with simple demands: He wants the Nigerian Government to repeal the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA).
On March 20, 2021, Victor published a video on Twitter, explaining the reason for his decision. He made it clear that he was going on a hunger strike until the SSMPA is repealed. He was at the premises of the National Assembly. The campaign hashtag is #RepealSSMPA.
He also tweeted a copy of the SSMPA act:
The SSMPA bill, was signed into law by Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on January 7, 2014. In Nigeria, same-sex marriages and romantic relationships are a crime punishable by up to 14 years in jail. In 2017, over 40 men were arrested in a Lagos hotel for engaging in sexual acts. 2017 also saw over 50 Nigerian men arrested over a gay wedding in Zaria.
Victor was also at the National Assembly yesterday with the same message.
More recently, Victor has taken to Twitter to declare an end to his hunger strike as he approaches a different approach to his advocacy.
We’ll update this article with updates as they come.
