Update On Nigeria Signing EU Homosexual Agreement
The Federal Government of Nigeria said it was not present at the signing of an European Union agreement on the legalisation of same sex marriage in the country.
In a statement on Thursday, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Francisca Omayuli said the country did not attend or sent a representative to the signing of the Samoa Agreement.
The government said relevant stakeholders in the country were studying the instrument which replaces the Cotonou Agreement of 2000 before taking a decision on whether to sign it without contravening Nigeria’s domestic legislation.
Civil Society Organisations had earlier raised the alarm on the possible co-option of Nigeria to join a move by the European Union (EU) to coax African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries into signing an LGBT agreement between the EU and ACP countries.
It was gathered that several meetings have been convened between the EU and ACP parliamentarians aimed at getting ACP leaders to sign the controversial LGBT agreement.
Osun Defender learnt that one of such meeting between the EU and ACP Ministers took place in Brussels on November 28, 2022, to potentially exert greater pressure on ACP Ministers to persuade ACP heads of governments to sign the LGBT agreement. Another meeting with the same objective it was learnt also took place from June 19 to 28, 2023, in Brussels.
However, Omayuli, in the statement said: “The attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria has been drawn to diverse pronouncements and publications on the implication of Nigeria signing the New Partnership Agreement, known as the Samoa Agreement, between the Member States of the Organization of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU).
“The Samoa Agreement, covers six (6) key priority areas of Human Rights, Democracy and Governance; Peace and Security; Human and Social Development; Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change; Inclusive Sustainable Economic Growth; and Development, Migration and Mobility. The Agreement supersedes and replaces the Cotonou Agreement (2000), which in turn was preceded by several other agreements aimed at bolstering relations between the OACPS and EU.
“The general public is invited to note that Nigeria was not represented at the Signing Ceremony, which took place in Samoa on Wednesday, 15th November, 2023 and hence has not signed the Agreement. Relevant Nigerian stakeholders are currently studying the Instrument with a view to ensuring that its provisions do not contravene Nigeria’s domestic legislation,” Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
