Members of Parliament instruct the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the SAMOA Agreement

Out of Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the recently signed Samoa Agreement until all controversial clauses have been clearly defined, Make sure they do not violate any laws in Nigeria.

In addition, the Committees on National Planning and Economic Development and on Justice, Treaties, Protocols and Agreements were tasked with working with the relevant government authorities to clarify any grey areas in the agreement.

Earlier, the plenary adopted a motion by Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki and 88 others, pointing out some allegedly offensive clauses in the agreement.

The House of Representatives passed the resolution after adopting a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Minority Whip Sani Madaki and 87 other MPs.

The agreement recently sparked controversy after reports emerged that some provisions relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people had been included in the pact.

Madaki said in his keynote speech that there were concerns that some clauses of the agreement allegedly promoted LGBTQ rights, which violated existing laws in the country.

The lawmaker said: “On June 28, 2024, the Federal Government signed the so-called Samoa Agreement with the European Union (EU) to strengthen food security and inclusive economic development, among other things.

“The agreement reportedly contains some clauses that require underdeveloped and developing countries to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as a condition for receiving financial and other assistance from developed countries.”

Madaki also expressed concern that “Article 97 of the Agreement, which provides that ‘no treaty, convention, agreement or arrangement of any kind between one or more Member States of the European Union and one or more members of the OACPS shall impede the implementation of this Agreement’, constitutes a supremacy clause and thus violates Nigeria’s sovereignty;

“Some other articles, particularly Articles 2.5, 29.5, 36.2 and 88 of the Samoa Agreement signed by the Federal Government indicate that it could be detrimental to the interests of Nigeria as a country and the values ​​of our people as a whole, which is why it does not contain a reservation clause.

“Article 2.5 states that parties should systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality becomes mainstream in all countries.

“The expression ‘gender equality’ is reported to be a Trojan horse that is deceptively bringing all kinds of immorality into our country, since ‘gender’ no longer means the two sexes, male and female, as traditionally understood, but now also includes homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism and animalism;

“The signing of such an agreement with the above clauses, if true, violates our sovereignty and is a clear violation of Article 124 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The Federal Government may have signed the agreement without full consultations and without considering possible long-term consequences.”

Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), passed in 2014, prohibits LGBT rights and criminalizes marriage between people of the same sex.

The trigger for the uproar following the signing of the Samoa Agreement was Nigeria’s legal position on same-sex marriage.

According to the European Council, the Samoa Agreement provides the overarching framework for the European Union’s (EU) relations with the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The agreement serves as a new legal framework for the EU’s relations with 79 countries, including states in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The agreement covers six priority areas: democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.

The agreement was officially signed on 15 November 2023 by the EU and its Member States, as well as the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), in Samoa, a country in Oceania.

Nigeria did not initially sign the agreement because the government said it was still reviewing the pact.

The new agreement replaces the Cotonou Agreement signed in 2000.

The signing of the agreement was accompanied by allegations that the agreement would force developing countries to support the LGBTQ movement.

Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, clarified that the federal government had ensured that the agreement did not violate the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and other applicable laws.

It was also stated that the agreement was solely for the economic development of the country – contrary to claims that it contained provisions on same-sex marriage.