SAMOA agreement has no provision for LGBT, gay rights, NBA President allays fears

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President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), on Tuesday, has denounced media report alleging there are clauses concerning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Queen (LGBTQ) rights in the agree.ent signed by the Federal Government with the European Union, EU.

Maikyau said there was no provision in the SAMOA Agreement that required Nigeria to accept or recognise LGBTQ rights.

According to him, 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”.

A statement signed in Lagos, by NBA National Publicity Secretary, Mr Habeeb Lawal, the NBA president said the public should query newspaper and social media post.

He restated NBA’s commitment to ensuring that the actions of government are people-focused, stressing that the NBA will continue to engage and advise government to advance the cause of the nation.

The NBA president 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.

“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.”

Consequently, Maikyau called on government to continue with the public enlightenment already being undertaken, urging other stakeholders to join in doing so, in order to counter the negative perception being promoted on the agreement.