- By Halimah Olamide
The Federal Government was on Tuesday asked to suspend the Samoa Agreement until the resolution of all the controversies around the clauses and its implementation.
This was after a motion of urgent national importance raised 88 members of the lower chamber as debates raged over the agreement.
Just on Tuesday, the Nigeria Bar Association said there is nothing in the agreement that contains Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer clauses in the agreement.
The NBA, through its President, said the association was involved in the signing of the agreement and therefore could not have allowed the Federal Government to go into any agreement that contravenes the laws of the land.
In moving the motion on Tuesday, a member of the House, Aliyu Madaki, drew attention to the clause which highlights “gender equality” and describes it as a Trojan horse which could violate the morals of the country.
The House also mandated its relevant committees to investigate the controversial provisions of the agreement.
Controversy has dogged the Samoa Agreement signed by the Federal Government with the European Union, with many alleging that agreement compels Nigeria to recognise LGBTQ rights by the Nigerian government.
At a press conference on Saturday, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; alongside his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Mohammed Idris, said Nigeria won’t enter into an agreement that was antithetical to the constitution as well as the religious and cultural sensibilities of the heterogeneous people of Nigeria.
Bagudu said Nigeriasigned the agreementto boost food security, and inclusive economic development, amongst other vital areas.
Last November, the European Union, its 27 member states and 79 member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) signed an agreement in Apia, the capital of the Pacific island country of Samoa. Hence, it was referred to as the ‘Samoa Agreement’.