Samoa agreement: Nigeria won’t receive $150bn for signing deal, LGBTQ claim false — FG
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Federal Government has rejected a newspaper report that it would get $150 billion as part of the Samoa Agreement signed in Brussels, Belgium on June 28.
Minister of Budget and planning, Atiku Bagudu, made the clarification at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday.
The minister, along with his information and national orientation counterpart Mohammed Idris, called the conference to react to a report by the Daily Trust Newspapers which also claimed the deal requires Nigeria to endorse the rights of LGBTQ people.
The minister confirmed the agreement was signed at the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Secretariat in Brussels.
He said the African regional protocol on the deal consists of two parts – framework for cooperation, and areas of cooperation that include sustainable economic growth, environment and human rights protection, among others.
Bagudu also said that the agreement made no reference to LGBTQ.
He declared that President Bola Tinubu was a proud Nigerian and would never sign any document that could hurt its laws and constitution.
He said that the agreement was seeking to foster cooperation between the 27 EU members and OACPC with 79 nations.
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“The partnership is about trade agreements, human rights and environmental promotion,” he enthused.
Bagudu said Nigeria signed after extensive reviews and consultations by the interministerial committee convened by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, in collaboration with the ministries of foreign affairs and justice.
He said Nigeria had made it clear that any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be null and void, and that is, thus, what government has to say on the issue of same-sex marriage.
“There is an existing law against that since 2014.
“It is necessary to assure Nigerians that Tinubu’s administration, being a rule-based government, will not enter into any international agreement that will be detrimental to the interest of the country and its citizens,” he said.
The minister pointed out that Nigera had entered into many other agreements most of which had benefited the country in the areas of water, sanitation, education, agriculture, among others.
According to him, the Samoa agreement is focused on economic development, security, environment, migration, mobility and climate change.
Other areas included investment opportunities, sustainable development and mutually beneficial cooperations, among others.
“President Tinubu is non-apologetic about his respects for our diversities and wouldn’t want to do anything that will hurt anyone.
“President Tinubu did not authorise any agreement that can undermine our constitution or laws.
“We did not sign anything that has a clause that challenges our laws.
“We are always conscious of our sovereignty; we respect our two religions,” he said.
