No Clause in Samoa Agreement Requires Nigeria to Accept LGBTQ Rights, Says NBA President Maikyau

“Prior to the signing of the Samoa Agreement, the Hon. Minister of Budget and Economic Planning requested the NBA, as a major stakeholder in the polity, to review the agreement,” Maikyau noted. A committee led by Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, SAN, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ekiti State, was tasked with vetting the document.

He stated, “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 recognize LGBTQ 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. For instance, Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2023, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), are upheld. If this were not the case, the NBA would have advised the Federal Government against engaging in any agreement that undermines our nation’s sovereignty. The Samoa Agreement does not compromise our existing legislation nor undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.”

Maikyau emphasized the importance of public education on the actual content of the Samoa Agreement and urged stakeholders who have engaged with the government on this matter to educate the public accurately.

The Samoa Agreement, named after the country where it was signed, is a comprehensive legal framework between European Union (EU) member states and over half of the 79 members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS). It focuses on six main areas: democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.