Kano Rep Suggests Nigeria Sign Pro-LGBTQ Samoa Agreement

“Nigeria can sign a Samoa agreement supporting LGBTQ people in part,” said a member of Kano Reps.

Nigeria may sign Samoa Agreement, supporting LGBTQ rights, despite initial refusal. Lawmaker Rabiu Yusuf suggests conditional domestication to protect national laws and values.

According to Rabiu Yusuf, a member of the House of Representatives for the Sumaila/Takai seat in Kano, Nigeria might accept the advantageous provisions of the Samoa Agreement.

The European Union (EU) and the member nations of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) have collaborated on this accord.

It seeks to act as a comprehensive legal framework for the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) governments.

The partnership is one of the most extensive and historical frameworks for EU-third country collaboration, having replaced the Cotonou Agreement inked in 2000.

The Republic of the Maldives, 16 Caribbean countries, 15 Pacific nations, and 47 African nations—including Nigeria—are among the pact's member states.

In the meantime, Nigeria decided not to sign the agreement in November 2023 in response to concerns expressed by a number of civil society organizations, CSOs, and other groups regarding Article 9 of the agreement, which declares that “Respect for human rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law shall constitute an essential element of this Agreement.”

They said that the collaboration served as a covert way to introduce LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) concerns to the nation.

In general, the agreement covers issues like human rights, peace and security, and sustainable development and progress.

The House Committee on Treaties, Protocols, and Agreements chairman, Yusuf, said that because of the agreement's nuanced ways in which it challenges the nation's ideals, discussion of it has proven difficult.

The legislator stated that Nigeria stands to gain from the Samoa Agreement when speaking on Thursday, June 20, during a webinar hosted by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, or CJID, about the agreement's implications.

“There are risks, but we need to analyse to know what outweighs the others to drive engagement with the EU and other Pacific countries,” Yusuf said.

“We can make domestication conditional. The fear is that it (LGBTQ) is being given a clever and modified term. We don't want to take it hook, line, and sinker without understanding. I think it goes against our laws.”

Asabe Adahi, the Kukah Center's program manager, listed the agreement's benefits, saying that the nation will gain from human and technical experience as well as developmental aid.

Adahi also voiced doubts over the topic of human rights.

“For once, I think I am happy we are holding back on signing. If you read the treaty, it's quite ambiguous,” Adahi said.

“When you look at issues, particularly human rights, you have to look at what is important for you as a country.”

According to her, Nigeria must assess what it specifically wants from the agreement and try to strengthen its negotiation position.