Reps Urge FG To Suspend Implementation Of Samoa Agreement

By Linda Ike

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement, pending the conclusion of the investigation of the controversial clauses.

The House also mandated the Committees on National Planning and Economic Development, Justice, Treaties, Protocol, and Agreements to interface on the matter.

This is the sequel to the adoption of a motion by the Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki, and 88 others at plenary, on Tuesday, calling attention to some allegedly offensive clauses in the agreement.

The Samoa Agreement, which was signed by the government recently, has been trailed by controversy, with several Nigerians kicking against it.

Madaki said that some clauses of the agreement purportedly promote LGBT rights, which are against extant laws in the country.

The lawmaker said On June 28, 2024, the federal government signed what is known as the Samoa Agreement with the European Union (EU) to boost food security and inclusive economic development, among other vital areas.

He said, “The agreement allegedly has some clauses that compel underdeveloped and developing nations to support the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community as a condition for getting financial and other support from advanced societies.”

Madaki also expressed concerns ” that Article 97 of the Agreement, which states that, “no treaty, convention, agreement or arrangement of any kind between one or more member States of European and one or more OACPS Members shall impede the implementation of this Agreement”, Is supremacy Clause and thus violates Nigeria’s sovereignty;

“Some other Articles, especially Article 2. 5, 29. 5, 36. 2, and 88 in the Samoa Agreement stated that was signed by the Federal Government may be inimical to the interest of Nigeria as a country and the values of our people as a whole so it does not contain a Reservation clause.

“Article 2.5 states that parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all countries.

“The phrase gender equality as reported is a Trojan horse for deceptively bringing in all sorts of immorality to our country, as gender no longer means two sexes male and female as traditionally understood, it now includes homosexualism, lesbianism, transgenderism, and animalism;

“The signing of such an agreement with the aforementioned clauses, if true violates our sovereignty and is a clear contravention of section 124 of the 1999 constitution as amended. The Federal Government may have signed the agreement without exhaustive consultations and consideration for possible long-term consequences.”