Yakubu Maikyau, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has made it clear that the Samoa Agreement does not require Nigeria to accept LGBTQ rights.
This statement comes amid rumours and misinformation about the agreement.
Maikyau explained that the Samoa Agreement, signed by the Nigerian government, does not ask Nigeria to recognize LGBTQ rights in exchange for a $150 billion loan. He emphasized that the agreement respects Nigeria’s laws and sovereignty.
The Nigerian Minister of Budget and Economic Planning asked the NBA to review the agreement before it was signed. A committee led by Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, a former Attorney General of Ekiti State, reviewed the document.
Maikyau said, “There is no provision in the SAMOA Agreement which requires Nigeria to accept or in anyway recognise LGBTQ or gay rights, either as a pre-condition for a loan of $150 Billion USD or at all. Instead, the agreement was expressly made subject to the local laws and the sovereignty of the contracting Nations. That is to say, the SAMOA Agreement recognises, for instance, Nigeria’s Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2023 and of course, the Supremacy of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). 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 also stressed the need for public education about the agreement to prevent misunderstandings.
The Samoa Agreement, named after the country where it was signed, is a legal framework between the European Union and over half of the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States.
It covers democracy, human rights, economic growth, climate change, social development, peace, security, and migration.
