The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) defended the Federal Government’s endorsement of the Samoa Agreement on Tuesday, asserting that it contains no clauses regarding same-sex marriage.
This defense comes as the House of Representatives calls for the suspension and investigation of the agreement signed by Nigeria on June 28, 2024.
The Samoa Agreement, named after the Pacific island nation where it was signed on November 15, 2023, serves as a new legal framework for the European Union’s relations with 79 countries, including 48 African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific nations. It aims to strengthen the capacity of the EU and ACP countries to address global challenges together.
Key areas covered by the agreement include “democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.
“Other focuses are social services access, education, health, food security, water, sanitation, housing, social cohesion, women’s development, and youth involvement in policy implementation.”
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A national daily had recently alleged that the agreement included “a clause to legalize LGBTQ relationships in Nigeria and claimed that the government agreed to support same-sex relationships to secure a $150 billion loan.”
However, this allegation was strongly refuted by Minister of Information Mohammed Idris and Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Abubakar Bagudu at a press conference in Abuja.
Idris threatened legal action against the newspaper, while Bagudu clarified that “the agreement is based on universally accepted international laws and does not include any LGBTQ clauses.
NBA President Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) emphasized that the Samoa Agreement recognizes Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2023, and respects local laws.
Maikyau said, “The Samoa Agreement is a broad legal framework meant to serve as a basis for subsequent specific agreements between the EU and the Federal Government, its sub-nationals, and the private sector.
“There is no provision in the Samoa Agreement requiring Nigeria to accept LGBTQ rights.”
Maikyau urged stakeholders to educate the public on the agreement’s true contents and called on the Federal Government to continue public enlightenment to counter negative perceptions.
Despite the NBA’s clarification, the House of Representatives urged the Federal Government to suspend the agreement’s implementation and directed its Committee on National Planning to investigate the matter within four weeks.
Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki and 87 others raised concerns “that some clauses in the agreement might compel Nigeria to support LGBTQ communities for financial aid, potentially violating Nigeria’s sovereignty.”
Madaki highlighted that “Article 97 of the agreement could override Nigeria’s laws, while Article 2.5 promotes gender equality, which he claimed could include LGBTQ rights.”
“Gender equality, as reported, is a Trojan horse for deceptively bringing in all sorts of immorality to our country,” he said.
Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere countered that there is no mention of LGBTQ rights in the agreement.
“Three ministers, including the Minister of Information and Budget and Planning, have confirmed that there is nothing like that in the agreement,” he stated.
Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader, argued for proper legislative oversight and better public information.
“If the parliament had been carried along, this argument would not have come up,” he said.