Reps Call for Suspension of Samoa Agreement
FG Asked to Put Brakes on Samoa Agreement
Nigerian House of Representatives orders suspension of Samoa Agreement implementation amid concerns over potential violation of laws and promotion of LGBTQ+ rights, despite government assurances.
The federal government has been asked by the house of representatives to halt the Samoa Agreement's implementation.
The accord that the federal government signed on June 28 will also be looked into by the parliament.
Sani Madaki, the minority whip, and 87 other MPs filed a motion of urgent public interest, which was adopted by the green chamber before the resolution was passed.
Following speculations that some lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) elements have made their way into the deal, the accord has caused controversy.
WHAT IS THE SAMOA AGREEMENT?
The European Council states that the Samoa Agreement serves as the main foundation for EU relations with nations in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
The deal establishes a new legal framework for the European Union's dealings with 79 nations, including those in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
The six main areas covered by the accord are migration and mobility, human and social development, climate change, migration and mobility, and democracy and human rights.
The EU, its member states, and members of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) formally signed the agreement in Samoa, an Oceanian nation, on November 15, 2023.
Nigeria first refused to sign the deal because the federal government claimed to be still reviewing it.
The Cotonou Agreement, which was signed in 2000, is replaced with the current one.
There have been allegations since the agreement's signing that it attempts to force underdeveloped countries to back LGBTQ agitations.
The falsity of the assertions has been proven.
The federal government made sure that the deal did not violate the 1999 Constitution (as modified) or other laws in effect, according to Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation.
The government has also clarified that, contrary to reports that it contains provisions for same-sex marriage, the deal is solely for the nation's economic development.
THE ARGUMENT
The deal, according to Madaki, breaches the country's laws prohibiting same-sex marriage and the LGTBQ community.
Ghali Tijani of Kano, who supported the motion, indicated that the Samoa Agreement should be rejected in its “entirety.”
The majority whip, Bello Kumo, stated that the federal government need to apologize to Nigerians and withdraw the agreement's signature.
The minority leader and co-sponsor of the motion, Kingsley Chinda, stated that the motion's proponents were neither endorsing nor discouraging the accord.
Reminding his colleagues that the motion called for an investigation, he implored them not to be “judgmental.”
Before signing the accord, the lawmaker claimed, the federal government ought to have accompanied MPs.
“The problem is lack of information. We were not carried along,” he said.
The majority leader, Julius Ihonvbere, informed his colleagues that “nothing in the agreement supports LGBTQ people.”
THE ANTI-SAME-SEX LAW IN NIGERIA
As Ihonvbere spoke, his colleagues cut him off in unison, shouting ‘no’ in a chorus of disapproval.
The 2014-passed Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) in Nigeria outlaws same-sex unions and restricts LGBT rights.
The controversy that erupted when Nigeria signed the Samoa Agreement was stoked by the country's legal stance on same-sex marriage.
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