The Federal Government confirmed signing the Samoa agreement on Thursday night.
However, it said there was no cause for alarm because the law on same-sex marriage enacted in 2024 superseded the agreement.
Grassroots Parrot gathered that the controversial agreement has some clauses that compel developing nations to support the agitations by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities for recognition before getting financial support from advanced societies.
Some clerics and human rights activists had criticized the government over the agreement.
Responding to the issue in a statement, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris said the Federal Government ensured that none of the provisions of the agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The minister also clarified that Nigeria’s endorsement on June 28, 2024, was accompanied by a Statement of Declaration on June 26, 2024, clarifying that any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be invalid.
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“On June 28, 2024, Nigeria signed the Samoa Agreement at the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. The partnership agreement is between the EU and its Member States, on the one hand, and the members of the OACPS, on the other.”
“Negotiations on the agreement started in 2018 on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. It was signed in Apia, Samoa, on November 15, 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 regions.
“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.
“Nigeria signed the agreement on Friday, June 28, 2024. This was done after 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). 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 existing laws.
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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. It is instructive to note that there is existing legislation against same-sex relationships in Nigeria, enacted in 2014.
“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 interests 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.
“The Samoa Agreement is 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.”