Nigerian Government Clarifies Details of Samoa Agreement on LGBTQ Rights

The Federal Government has provided the details of the Samoa Agreement it signed recently.

The controversial agreement was signed at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium on June 28, 2024.

The partnership agreement is between the EU and its Member States, on one hand, and the members of the OACPS.

Reports stated that the negotiations on the agreement started in 2018, on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly.

It was signed in Apia, Samoa on the 15th of November 2018 by all 27 EU Member states and 47 of the 79 OACPS Member states.

The agreement has 103 articles comprising a common foundational compact and three regional protocols, namely: Africa –EU; Caribbean-EU, and Pacific-EU Regional Protocols with each regional protocol addressing the peculiar issues of the region.

The African Regional Protocol consists of two parts.

The first is the Framework for Cooperation, while the second deals with Areas of Cooperation, containing Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth and Development; Human and Social Development; Environment, Natural Resources Management, and Climate Change; Peace and Security; Human Rights, Democracy and Governance; and Migration and Mobility.

The Tinubu government said the signing was done after the extensive reviews and consultations by the Interministerial Committee, convened by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ).

It was ensured that none of the 103 Articles and Provisions of the Agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended or laws of Nigeria, and other extant Laws, the government said.

It said Nigeria’s endorsement was accompanied by a Statement of Declaration, dated 26th June, 2024, clarifying its understanding and context of the Agreement within its jurisdiction to the effect that any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be invalid.

On the issue of same sex marriage, the FG explained that it is “instructive to note that there is an existing legislation against same sex relationship in Nigeria enacted in 2014,” a statement signed by Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation.

“It is necessary to assure Nigerians that the President Bola Tinubu Administration, being a rule-based government, will not enter into any international agreement that will be detrimental to the interest of the country and its citizens.

“In negotiating the Agreement, our officials strictly followed the mandates exchanged in 2018 between the EU and the OACPS for the process,” he added.

Idris said that the Samoa Agreement was nothing but a vital legal framework for cooperation between the OACPS and the European Union, to promote sustainable development, fight climate change and its effects generate investment opportunities, and foster collaboration among OACPS Member States at the international stage.