Some clerics, rights activists, and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria are outraged by the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government’s decision to join the contentious Samoa Agreement.
The deal allegedly includes stipulations requiring impoverished and developing countries to assist the agitations of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) population for recognition in exchange for financial and other benefits from advanced societies.
The pact, named after the Pacific Island of Samoa, where it was signed on November 15, 2023, is progressively gaining traction despite opposition from several countries that hold Islamic and Christian principles, as well as cultural sensitivity.
Information regarding Nigeria’s acceptance of the deal became public on Monday, July 1, when the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, revealed the news during a European Union (EU) reception in Abuja.
However, when contacted on Wednesday, Bagudu’s media assistant, Bolaji Adebiyi, stated that the agreements signed by the federal government, to which the Minister of Budget referred during the EU reception, were solely for Nigerian economic development.
He stated unequivocally that there was no mention of LGBT or same-sex marriage in the agreements and that anyone implying that Nigeria had approved those inclinations is mistaken.
He argued that Bagudu’s signature related to a $150 billion trade component.
When asked yesterday if they were aware of current concerns surrounding the Samoa Agreement, Kamarudeen Ogundele, the spokesman for the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, said he needed to conduct some investigations.
Reacting to the news, former Senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, urged African countries against collecting “loans or grants from any country, group of countries, or international institutions that came with demonic conditions antithetical to our culture, religious faiths, and values.”
He also urged every African country that appended their signature to the Samoa agreement to ‘unsign’ and renege on the agreement.
“All African countries, including Nigeria, that appended their signatures should go back and ‘unsign’ the Samoa agreement.”
In his reaction, Ebuka Nwafor berated the Tinubu-led administration for allegedly institutionalising same-sex laws in Nigeria.
“The Samoa Agreement is gallantly laughing at anti-LGBT law right now. Bambiyala (begging) mentality and corruption are BAT combinations,” he said.
“The fact that it happened under the able leadership of the ‘much-awaited Muslim-Muslim ticket’ leaves less to be desired. How did we get here as a country?” he added.
“Why do African countries not consider the needs of the people they rule? Now in Nigeria, eating three meals a day is beyond the power of the poor; going to school is beyond the power of the poor; what kind of leadership do you have in this country?” Nasir umar zugachi, queried in his reaction.
For Nnaji Asiegbu, he said, “A loan should be conditioned to suit the value of the life of the person being given it. Otherwise, it’s not worth the risk.”
Other reactions include Martin Ajaereh, “If they don’t collect the loans, they may not have enough to steal. Loans are not for development in Nigeria but for stealing and sharing, the purchase of armoured exotic cars, private jets, houses, etc., which is why there’s no infrastructural development.”
Gesture Emmanuel, “The deed has been done; there’s no undoing of such. It’s a lesson to some of your people that religion shouldn’t be the determining factor when electing people into any sort of office because to a typical Muslim man or woman religion takes centre stage instead of capacity and competency.”
Musa Rimaye, “The most worrisome part of the agreement is the fact that the purported economic benefits would end up in the piggy pockets of very few people while compromising our religious and cultural heritage as a people. Our leaders should be sincere with us.”
Kadibia, “African nations must prioritise their sovereignty and cultural identity. Loans and grants with conditionalities that undermine our values and autonomy are detrimental to our growth and development.”
Chika Agina “Isn’t it amazing that this is happening under the watch of the of the Muslim president and Muslim vice president? They thought Islam was to liberate them; alas, it’s to enslave and plunge them into deeper haram.”
