The role of religious leaders in changing sexual behaviour in Southwest Nigeria in an era of AIDS.

In 1992 field researchers in Oyo and Ondo states in southwest Nigeria spoke to 71 leaders of African Independent Churches and 40 Muslim leaders to determine their attitude and beliefs on sexual behavior in response to AIDS. Almost everyone believed that God sent AIDS as a punishment for sexual and other sins. About 75% of Protestant leaders said the AIDS epidemic caused them to address sexual behavior more often and more intensely than in the past. 25-33% condemned premarital and extramarital sexual relations encouraged couples to not practice postpartum abstinence too long and promoted monogamy. The researchers did not expect this support for monogamy. This support for monogamy and economic and social changes away from polygyny suggested that polygyny will likely slowly disappear in southern Nigeria despite Muslim support for it. Less than 80% of Protestant leaders believed that they successfully influenced all or some of their followers in marriage and sexuality. Almost all Muslim leaders believed that they had this influence. Muslim leaders tended to already condemn premarital and extramarital sexuality especially among females. Despite condemnation of sexual relations outside marriage most religious leaders thought that the government could best communicate the risks of unprotected sex with multiple partners and with prostitutes. In other words they would not use the AIDS epidemic as a reason to conduct a campaign against immoral sexual behavior. The researchers believed that the religious leaders could not do so because they too found sexual relations to be natural. About 50% of the Protestant leaders advocated family planning and 20% of them also advocated contraceptive use. Just 12.5% condemned contraceptive use while others avoided discussing contraception. 80% of Muslim leaders did not advocate contraceptive use. Nevertheless a considerable minority of Muslim leaders would approve a condom-linked safe sex campaign if AIDS becomes a real problem in Nigeria.