SAMOA Agreement Respects Nigeria's Cultural Values — NBA

SAMOA Agreement Doesn't Force Nigeria to Accept LGBTQ according to NBA

Nigeria Bar Association President said, the SAMOA pact contains no clause requiring Nigeria to embrace LGBTQ people. 

NBA President Yakubu Maikyau clarifies that the SAMOA agreement does not require Nigeria to accept LGBTQ rights, and is subject to local laws and sovereignty. False narratives spreading misinformation have caused public concern, and the NBA urges education and understanding of the agreement's true content.

According to Mr. Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), there is no clause in the SAMOA agreement requiring Nigeria to acknowledge LGBTQ or homosexual rights in any form before receiving a $150 billion USD loan.

The National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Habeeb Lawal, provided a statement to reporters on Tuesday, in which the NBA President stated, “Instead, the agreement was expressly made subject to the local laws and the sovereignty of the contracting nations.”

The President of the NBA stated that the SAMOA agreement acknowledges the supremacy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) Constitution as well as the Nigerian Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2023.

"If this were not the case, the NBA would have since advised the Federal Government not to enter or engage in any form of partnership or agreement that has the ability to undermine the sovereignty of our nation in anyway.

“For avoidance of any doubt, the SAMOA agreement does not, in any way, seek to compromise our existing legislations nor undermine the sovereignty of Nigeria,” he said.

Maikyau clarified that the NBA, being a significant political player, was asked to review the SAMOA deal by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning before it was signed.

As a result, a committee headed by Mr. Olawale Fapohunda (SAN), a former commissioner for justice in Ekiti State, attorney general, and chairman of the NBA Law Reform Committee, was established to carefully review and provide advice on the agreement.

The speaker stated that the SAMOA Agreement, which bears the name of the central South Pacific Ocean nation of Samoa, where the agreement was signed, constitutes a comprehensive legal framework between the member states of the European Union (EU) and over half of the 79 members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).

“It is meant to serve as a basis upon which subsequent specific agreements can be negotiated between the European Union and the Federal Government, its sub- nationals and/or the Private sector.

“The agreement covers six main areas, namely: democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.”

The NBA President's remarks came after some Nigerians' reactions to the Federal Government's signing of the SAMOA Agreement were reported in newspapers and on social media. These reactions were allegedly caused by clauses in the agreement that said Nigeria had to support or accept LGBTQ rights in order to be eligible for a $150 billion loan facility.

He emphasized the need for all stakeholders, who had the chance to consult with government prior to the agreement's execution and others who have read and comprehended the agreement's goal, to work toward educating the public about the agreement's true content. He claimed that the narrative being spread was either the result of ignorance of the agreement's content or a deliberate intention to mislead the public—neither of which is good.

The NBA president claims that false narratives about the deal are being pushed and spread along extremely delicate lines of morality, faith, and culture, which is why prudence and appropriate education are necessary.

In an attempt to dispel the unfavorable impression of the deal, he urged the administration to carry out the public education currently underway and to enlist the assistance of other interested parties.

He said that the NBA is still dedicated to making sure that government actions are people-focused and that nothing is done to jeopardize Nigeria's integrity as a sovereign nation.

In addition to advancing national interests and holding the government accountable on behalf of the people of the nation, he declared that the NBA will keep interacting with the government and provide guidance and direction.