By SANDRA UMEH

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), on Tuesday said there was no provision in the SAMOA Agreement that required Nigeria to accept or recognise Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Queen (LGBTQ) rights.

Maikyau noted that the narrative being propagated was either due to ignorance of the contents of the agreement, or a deliberate intention to mislead the public, “neither of which is good”.

In a statement signed by Maikyau in Lagos, by NBA National Publicity Secretary, Mr Habeeb Lawal, the NBA urged the public to at all times, query newspaper and social media post.

He noted that the NBA remained committed to ensuring that the actions of government are people-focused adding that the NBA will continue to engage and advise government to advance the cause of the nation.

“My attention was drawn to publications in newspapers and social media platforms, to reactions by some Nigerians, to the signing of the SAMOA agreement by the federal government.

“Contrary to the narrative being propagated either due to ignorance of the content of the agreement or a deliberate intention to mislead the public, I wish to state:

“That there is no provision in the SAMOA agreement which requires Nigeria to accept or in any way recognise LGBTQ or gay rights, either as a pre condition for a loan of $150 billion 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 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.

“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 any way.

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

“The negative narratives on this agreement are being pushed and propagated along very sensitive lines of our faith, culture and morality, thus, the need for caution and proper education,” he said .

Maikyau, therefore, called on government to continue with the public enlightenment already being undertaken.

He urged other stakeholders to join in doing so, in order to counter the negative perception being promoted on the agreement.

NAN reports that the Samoa Agreement is a partnership agreement and a vital legal framework for cooperation between the EU and its member states, on the one hand, and members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, also known as OACPS.

The multilateral agreement is colloquially called the ‘Samoa Agreement’ because its signing took place on the Island of Samoa in Oceania during the 46^th session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers.

The agreement, signed by Nigeria and other members of the OACPS, is based on six key priorities to tackle the main challenges in the member countries over the next two decades.

The Nigerian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the European Union, Obinna Onowu, signed the agreement on behalf of the Nigerian Government at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels on June 28, 2024. (NAN)

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