One of the media aides in the Presidency, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has rubbished a news report, titled 'LGBT: Nigeria signs $150 billion Samoa deal', suggesting that President Bola Tinubu administration surreptitiously signed a controversial agreement that will attract financial aids to the country in exchange for supporting agitations and rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community for recognition, describing the report as presumptive, a guess-work and lacking in evidence.
The report about the Samoa Deal was published on Thursday on the front page of the national daily owned by Media Trust Limited - Abdulaziz's former employers.
The newspaper claimed that the Samoa Deal was already causing disquiet in the polity as some clerics, rights activists and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria were furious over the decision of the Federal Government to sign the Samoa Agreement, which was named after the Pacific Island country, where it was signed on November 15, 2023.
LEADERSHIP reports that former President Goodluck Jonathan had in January 2014, signed into law a Bill that criminalises same-sex relationships with a penalty of up to 14 years in prison for offenders.
Apparently infuriated by the news report about the Samoa Deal, which had since been denied by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which was accused of signing the deal on behalf of Nigeria, Abdulaziz took to his verified Facebook page to take the newspaper to the cleaners, citing procedural and editorial errors in the report.
He wrote: "When you claim an agreement signed has some provisions it behoves on you to copiously refer to sections of the so-called agreement to back up your claim. Journalism is not presumptive or guess-work.
"The story by Daily Trust is bereft of the most rudimentary journalism requirement -evidence."
Ironically, Abdulaziz's last working place before his current role in Aso Rock Villa was the Media Trust Limited as a Deputy Editor of the flagship newspaper. He also won awards at different times for his investigative reports.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the Federal Government is likely to issue a definite statement to clear the air on the Samoa Deal to disabuse the mind of Nigerians.
