There are brewing concerns over federal government’s decision to sign the controversial Samoa Agreement.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, confirmed that Nigeria had signed the agreement at a reception organised by the European Union (EU) in Abuja on July 1.
Opponents of the deal, comprising of civil society organizations and religious groups, are of the opinion that as a condition for getting the funds, the Samoa Agreement has some clauses that “compel” underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community.
The agreement, which was reached at the Pacific Island Samoa on November 15, 2023, has continued to gain grounds, especially across countries highly dependent on financial aids.
Reports indicates that Nigeria has been seeking financial assistance to finance infrastructural projects across the country.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the deal, Bagudu’s media assistant, Bolaji Adebiyi, said the documents signed by the federal government, which the Minister of Budget made reference to during the reception by the EU, were strictly for economic development of Nigeria.
He said nowhere in the documents were LGBTQ or same sex marriage mentioned even remotely, and emphatically stating that it would be wrong for anyone to imply that Nigeria had accepted those tendencies.
He insisted that what Bagudu signed was in relation to $150 billion trade component.
“The article does not represent the content of the Samoa Agreement signed by Nigeria. The Articles 2.5 and 29.5 cited made no mention of LGBT rights but rather 29.5 guarantees ‘support [for] universal access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and health care services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes’”, he said.
“Article 2.5 states that: ‘The parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies’.
“I fail to see how these articles imply the protection of LGBT rights. Please, note that this is a negotiated agreement among the 27 EU countries and 79 OACPS, which is subject to domestic laws. All 27 EU countries and 74 of the 79 OACPS have signed. Nigeria was the 73rd to sign last Friday, 28th June, in Brussels.
“Following the controversy around the agreement, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning organised a stakeholders meeting in March in Abuja, comprising NGOs and religious bodies during which concerns were addressed,” he said.
Similarly, Kamarudeen Ogundele, who is the spokesman of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN), said he had no details of the signed agreement.
