The Federal Government has reacted to the media report about a purported Samoa Deal, suggesting that it has accepted to recognise the rights of LGBT community in Nigeria in exchange for $150billion aid benefits, reaffirming that on June 28, 2024, Nigeria signed the Samoa Agreement at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium.
The partnership agreement is between the EU and its Member-states on one hand, and the members of the OACPS on the other hand.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued to journalists on Thursday in Abuja, said the negotiations on the agreement started in 2018, on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). It was signed in Apia, Samoa, on November 15, 2018, by all 27 EU Member-states and 47 of the 79 OACPS Member-states.
He said the agreement has 103 articles comprising a common foundational compact and three regional protocols: Africa-EU, Caribbean-EU, and Pacific-EU, with each regional protocol addressing the specific issues of the regions.
He emphasised the African Regional Protocol consists of two parts. The first is the Framework for Cooperation, while the second deals with Areas of Cooperation, including 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.
Idris said Nigeria signed the Agreement on Friday, June 28, 2024, following 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 the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ).
He noted that it was ensured that none of the 103 Articles and Provisions of the Agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended, the laws of Nigeria, or other extant laws.
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He stressed that, in addition, Nigeria's endorsement was accompanied by a Statement of Declaration, dated June 26, 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.
He reiterated that it is instructive to note that there is existing legislation against same-sex relationships in Nigeria, enacted in 2014.
He, however, said it was 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 interests of the country and its citizens.
He said in negotiating the agreement, their officials strictly followed the mandates exchanged in 2018 between the EU and the OACPS for the process.
Idris emphasised that the Samoa Agreement is 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 on the international stage.
