No provision for LGBTQ in Samoa Agreement, says NBA President
By Jeffrey Agbo
President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), has joined the conversation on the Samoa Agreement which has raised dusts among the Nigerian populace.
According to Daily Trust, the agreement is alleged to have required Nigeria to accept or recognise Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) rights. The Nigerian government has since debunked the notion.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by Maikyau and released through the NBA National Publicity Secretary, Habeeb Lawal, the NBA leader said the narrative being propagated was either due to ignorance of the content of the agreement, or a deliberate intention to mislead the public.
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.
Maikyau said, “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.
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“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.”
Maikyau, therefore, called on the 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.
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