LGBT: Religious bodies, CSOs, others move against Samoa pact

…Agreement a ploy to trap developing nations – AfBA

 The recent signing of the controversial Samoa Agreement by the Federal Government has continued to generate uproar, with many Nigerians, including Christian and Islamic bodies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and rights activists calling for the outright repudiation of the agreement.

Business Hallmark recalled that a Lagos State-based lawyer and Chairman, Human and Constitutional Rights Committee, African Bar Association (AfBA), Mr. Sonnie Ekwowusi, had on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024, raised an alarm on the signing of the pro-same sex relationship agreement by the Federal Government in an article he published in a national newspaper.

The agreement is a cooperation deal between the EU and 79 countries from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

According to Ekwowusi, who questioned the judgment of the officials, who signed the ‘nauseating’ Samoa Agreement on behalf of the country in spite of several meetings held with government officials and memoranda sent to them warning of its implications, Nigeria should immediately repudiate the perverse agreement.

“The Samoa Agreement, named after the Pacific Island, Samoa, where it was signed on November 15, 2023, is a celebration of perversity.

“Certain Articles of the Agreement, especially Articles 2.5 and 29.5 legalize LGBT, transgenderism, abortion, teen sexual abuse, and perversity in African countries.

“The signing of the agreement by Nigeria constitutes a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria and Africa. It further debases our democracy.

“I can wager that neither Minister Atiku Bagudu nor the Nigerian officials or diplomats, who signed the Samoa Agreement on our behalf, understand the import of the agreement to Nigeria’s sovereignty, let alone the destructive impact of the agreement in Nigeria.

“This explains why many African bodies including the AfBA have condemned the agreement and respectfully urged African countries not to sign it.

“Not infrequently, Nigerian officials in Geneva, New York, and other places sign international agreements or treaties over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with little or no knowledge of their contents.

“Were the Nigerian officials, who signed the offensive Samoa Agreement representing their own interests or the interests of the Nigerian people? Having refused to sign the agreement earlier, why did Nigeria change its mind and proceed to sign the Agreement?”, Ekwowusi queried.

The AfBA president, thereby, called on the Federal Government to undo the damage by immediately withdrawing from the LGBT agreement.

BH findings revealed that Nigeria and 34 other African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries had on November 12, 2023, refused to sign the first LGBT draft, which tied access to the $150 billion trade component of the deal to respecting LGBTQ rights.

According to a top official in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, who witnessed the signing ceremony, the representatives of many African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, including Nigeria, refused to sign the first draft, which specifically mentioned same sexual orientations and gender identities.

“Owing to the protests by some member states, the EU was forced to abolish the clauses in the final document, which was finally signed on November 15th, 2023. But Nigeria did not sign the agreement until June of this year.

A copy of the final 172 pages of the Samoa Agreement sighted by our correspondent, confirmed that the mentioning of the contentious word ‘LGBTQ’ rights in the agreement documents were removed and rephrased to assuage the feelings of its opponents.

For instance, article 2.5A of the Samoa Agreement, without mentioning any sexual orientation, stated: “The Parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies”, while article 29.5 states: “The Parties shall support universal access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes”.

Several government officials, including the Minister of Economic Planning, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, have come out to defend the Samoa Agreement, insisting that the economic pact was signed on 28 June 2024 after being subjected to extensive reviews and consultations by an inter-ministerial committee.

Also, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, strongly defended the controversial agreement, saying none of the 103 articles and provisions of the agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended or the laws of Nigeria and other extant Laws.

However, despite the government’s repeated and forceful explanations of defense of the controversial economic pact, opposition against it has continued to mount.

Leading the crusade against the agreement is the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), a body of Catholic bishops in the country, which called on the government to withdraw from the recently signed agreement or propose an amendment to protect the nation’s sovereignty.

According to the CBCN, in a document jointly signed by its president, Lucius Ugorji, and secretary, Donatus Ogun, said that beyond the juicy and attractive economic benefits the agreement with the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries portends for Nigeria, it has hidden ideologies that are not just against Nigeria’s values but also threaten its sovereignty.

The body insisted that the Samoa Agreement gives international law status to sexual orientation and gender identity, comprehensive sexuality education, and abortion.

“The press has drawn our attention to Nigeria’s signing of the Samoa Agreement on 28 June 2024. This economic partnership agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries covers six main areas, including democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth, climate change, human social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.

“The agreement looks innocuous and attractive on the surface but underneath it is carefully blended with post-modern secularistic ideologies that significantly undermine the moral, cultural, and religious beliefs of Nigerian citizens.

““We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as watchmen and guides, deeply committed to the sound moral, religious, and cultural growth of our dear country, at this moment highlight what the Samoa Document portends for the future of Nigeria and Nigerians and call on our government to, as a matter of urgency, propose an amendment of the Agreement or withdraw from it”, the CBCN’s statement read.

Also, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), distanced itself from the controversial Samoa Agreement, while reiterating its unchanged stance on same-sex marriage and LGBT issues.

The Administrative Secretary of NSCIA, Abubakar Akande, disclosed that despite attending a meeting in March 2024 on the agreement, it was not its duty to ratify or oppose the draft presented to the body.

According to Akande, a 403-page document, containing 104 articles, was given to the NSCIA’s Legal Director, and it did not include provisions for same-sex marriage.

“We (NSCIA) would not welcome such agreement. Our stance has remained the same since the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“We cannot agree to what is against the injunction of our Creator, Allah, on this matter, and which also disrespects Nigeria’s sovereignty”, the NSCIA scribe stated.

The instigator of the push against the Samoa Agreement, AfBA, Chairman, Sonnie Ekwowusi, while speaking to BH at the weekend, agreed that the final document in circulation had been altered to address the concerns of member nations, but doubled down on his allegation that the Samoa Agreement is an evil and perverse agreement that will be detrimental to the interests of the country.

“Gender equality is an euphemism used by the EU to encompass sexual and LGBT rights, while ‘reproductive health’ is an euphemism for abortion and contraceptives.

“We are advocating that they put a definition clause so that we know what the terms are. Define gender, define gender equality, define sexual reproductive health”, Ekwowusi demanded.

Like the CBCN, NSCIA and Ekwowusi, two organizations, the, World Council for Health (WCH) International and Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (FACH), called on the Federal Government to jettison the agreement.

According to the groups in a joint statement by their Media Coordinator, Mrs. Omoye Olaye, the president must personally apologized to Nigerians for taking the nation on the road to perdition.

“Our stand is very clear. Whoever signed on behalf of Nigerians needs to apologize to Nigerians. But we need more than an apology. We need President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescind that signature.

“All he (Tinubu) needs to do is to apologize on Nigeria’s behalf very nicely and tell them that the truth is, we have not signed. We are withdrawing from the ACP EU Treaty. That is all we ask the President to do. That is all we will accept. Anything less than that will not be accepted”, she stated.

In the same vein, the House of Representatives last week reportedly asked the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement until all controversial clauses are addressed and spelled out.

This call followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by 88 members moved by Hon. Aliyu Madaki, who drew the attention of the House to the clause, which highlights “gender equality” and describes it as a Trojan horse that could violate the morals of the country.

At the end of the debate, the lower chamber of the National Assembly mandated its relevant committees to investigate the controversial provisions of the agreement.

However, barely twenty-four hours later, the House of Representatives dismissed reports that it called on the government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Partnership Agreement.

The House spokesman, Hon. Akin Rotimi, claimed that lawmakers only resolved to investigate controversial clauses in the agreement to ensure that they do not violate the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“It is important to clarify that the House of Representatives did not resolve to call for the suspension of the agreement nor the suspension of its implementation, as has been erroneously reported by some media houses.

“Instead, the House resolved to thoroughly scrutinize the Samoa Partnership Agreement for all contentious clauses through legislative hearings.

“Furthermore, the House mandated its Committees on Treaties, Protocols, and Agreements; Justice; and National Planning and Economic Development to engage with relevant stakeholders to address any ambiguities in the agreement. The committees are expected to report back to parliament within four weeks”, the lawmaker clarified.