A Nigerian diplomat has claimed young people are being “lured into homosexuality”, and it’s a threat to national survival.

Nigeria`s Consul General in South Africa, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, made the claims while speaking at the World Congress on Families and Marriage in Cape town in South Africa.

She claims Nigeria’s young people need to be educated on the “dangers” of homosexuality.

“The Congress is very important for our social and youth development in Nigeria.

“Our youths should be sensitised on the dangers of homosexuality.”

Mrs Ajulu-Okeke claimed that economic migration is turning people gay.

“Many Nigerians youths, especially those involved in illegal economic migration, have fallen prey to homosexual practices.

“Many Nigerian youths abroad are now becoming gay because of economic inducement, either to legalise their documents or to get jobs and they bring back diseases like HIV/AIDS back to the country,” she said.

Nigeria gives prison sentences of up to 14 years for homosexual acts.

The conference applauded the ambassador as she spoke of Nigeria’s anti-gay laws, commending them for apparently protecting marriage.

“The congress issued the Cape Town declaration on marriage and Nigeria and was well represented.

“Nigerians should have a sense of pride that we say it the way God ordained it, that marriage is between man and woman,” she said.