Canada Dismisses Alleged Plans To Withdraw Funding To Nigeria
Contrary to speculations making the rounds that Canada has withdrawn financial aid to Nigeria following the recent signing of the Same Sex Prohibition Act, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Perry Calderwood, said yesterday that his country was continuing with its $42 million health and economic funding to Nigeria annually.
Calderwood, who disclosed this at the 11th Canadian Education fair in Abuja, said rather than withdrawing aid to Nigeria, Canada was exploring more avenues to deepen its partnership with the country, stressing that Canada would continue to make the funding available to enable Nigeria fight polio and also create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the country.
He said,
Canada has a specific development programme on health in Nigeria and the focus of the programme is on health and generation of employment. I can assure you that we will continue with that
It was reported that the Canadian government cancelled a state visit by President Goodluck Jonathan to protest the anti-gay bill he signed into law. The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper was also said to have informed the Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri, that the planned February visit by President Jonathan had been cancelled.
The cancellation followed picketing of Nigeria’s embassy in Canada. It was announced last week that President Goodluck Jonathan had announced last week that he had signed the anti-gay bill into law. The bill bans gay marriage, gay groups or assemblies with offenders facing up to 14 years in prison.