Members of Parliament call on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement – ​​investigation into controversial clauses

The House of Representatives has called on the federal government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement because of the alleged “LGBTQ+ clause.”

The House of Representatives instructed its Committee on National Planning to investigate the agreement within four weeks.

The House resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance introduced by Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki and 87 others on the House floor on Tuesday.

background

The Samoa Agreement provides the overarching legal framework for the European Union’s relations with 79 countries, including 48 African, 16 Caribbean and 15 Pacific countries.

Last week, Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust published an article claiming that the agreement contained a clause legalising same-sex relations in Nigeria.

However, the Nigerian government refuted this claim, arguing that there are “existing laws against same-sex relations” in Nigeria.

In the meantime, Daily Trust agreed that the report had some gaps and promised to examine it and take appropriate action.

“We have been closely monitoring what these government officials have said and not said, and we will publish that in full for the record. We have also acknowledged lapses in our reporting on this particular case that have been brought to our attention by professional colleagues, and we will review and take appropriate action,” the statement released by the newspaper said.

Despite all these clarifications, several MPs who commented on the agreement “falsely” claimed that it contained some pro-LGBTQ+ clauses that were contrary to Nigerian laws. However, none of the MPs mentioned the specific clauses.

The movement

Mr Madaki justified his request by arguing that the above clauses were in contradiction with Nigerian law and added that the government must not take any action that goes against the country’s values.

“Articles 2.5, 29.5, 36.2 and 88 of the Samoa Agreement signed by the Federal Government may be contrary to the interests of Nigeria as a country and the values ​​of our people as a whole, which is why the Agreement 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,” he said.

Mr Madaki further interpreted the term “gender perspective” as “a Trojan horse to deceitfully bring all kinds of immorality into our country, since gender no longer means two sexes, male and female, as traditionally understood. It now includes homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism and animalism.”

The debate

Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere spoke against the motion and asked his colleagues to present a specific part of the agreement that deals with LGBTQ.

He added that there was not a single mention of same-sex relationships in the agreement’s 150 articles.

“I think the public has been misled on this. Let me say that there is no section in the agreement that concerns LGBTQ. If you have it, bring it here. In fact, three ministers, including the Minister of Information and Budget and Planning, have come forward to say that there is nothing like this in the agreement and that it was never mentioned. It was never mentioned and there is nothing about lesbian rights in the agreement. If you have the agreement, bring it here. There is nothing like this,” he said.

But it has now become a pattern for some Members to shout down Mr Ihonvbere and prevent him from making his motion.

Despite this statement, Alex Ikwechegh (LP, Abia) persisted in his false claim that the agreement contained a condition for the legalisation of same-sex relations.

The leader of the House of Representatives, Bello Kumo, also put forward the same line of argument in his motion.

In his contribution, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) cautioned his colleagues against passing judgement as the motion calls for an investigation into the agreement. He also blamed the Federal Government for the controversy surrounding the agreement, adding that it was a case of lack of information.

He said the executive branch should have involved the legislature in negotiating the agreement.

“As this is an inquiry, I would like to warn you that we should not be hasty in our arguments. It is clear that Parliament must be involved when the Federal Government makes an agreement, in accordance with Article 12 of the 1999 Constitution.

“If Parliament had prevailed, this argument would not have arisen, even for the people we represent, because Nigerians would have been better informed. The problem is the lack of information. As Parliament, we want to be sure that what the government has told Nigerians is actually the truth. That is all we are arguing for,” he said.

After a long debate, the chairman, Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu, put the motion to the vote and members voted in favour.