The Federal Government has refuted a media story that said the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals in Nigeria were supported by the Samoa partnership agreement, which was signed on June 28.
Additionally, it disregarded the assertions that Nigeria would get $150 billion for signing the agreement. At a news conference on Saturday in Abuja, Minister of Budget and Planning, Mr. Atiku Bagudu, provided the explanation.
The minister summoned the conference in response to a story published by the Daily Trust Newspapers, according to the News Agency, and his colleague Mohammed Idris, who is in charge of information and national orientation,.
NAN further notes that the media outlet asserted in the article that the Federal Government executed a contract that required Nigeria to support the rights of LGBTQI individuals.
It went on to say that the heavily populated African country will receive $150 billion for signing the agreement. The accusations have become the subject of most sermons in churches and mosques as a result of the report, which has caused social, religious, and cultural unrest.
The minister reminded everyone that on June 28, at the Organization of Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, an agreement known as the Samoa accord was signed.
According to the agreement’s details, members of OACPCS and the European Union, along with their respective member states, are partners in this cooperation. The agreement was negotiated in 2018 and signed by 47 of the 79 OACPS nations and all 27 EU member states on November 15, 2018.
The African Regional Protocol on the deal consists of two parts: a framework for cooperation and areas of cooperation that include sustainable economic growth, the environment, and human rights protection, among others.
Reacting to the medium’s report on the matter, Bagudu said that there was no iota of truth in it. He said that there was nowhere in the document where 150 billion dollars was mentioned.
He also said that the agreement made no reference to LGBTQ people or the rights of people involved in such activities. He declared that President Bola Tinubu was a proud Nigerian and would never sign any document that could hurt its laws and constitution.
He said that the agreement sought to foster cooperation between EU’s 27 members and OACPC with 79 nations. “The partnership is about trade agreements, human rights and environmental promotion,” he enthused.
He said Nigeria signed after extensive reviews and consultations by the interministerial committee convened by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Justice.
He said Nigeria had made it clear that any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be null and void, and that is, thus, what government has to say on the issue of same-sex marriage. “There has been an existing law against that since 2014.
“It is necessary to assure Nigerians that Tinubu’s administration, being a rule-based government, will not enter into any international agreement that will be detrimental to the interests of the country and its citizens,” he said.
He pointed out that Nigera had entered into many other agreements, most of which had benefited the country in the areas of water, sanitation, education, and agriculture, among others. According to him, the Samoa agreement is focused on economic development, security, the environment, migration, mobility, and climate change.
Other areas included investment opportunities, sustainable development, and mutually beneficial cooperation, among others. He said that no article supported the rights of LGBTQ people, declaring that everything signed was in tandem with Niger’s laws.
“President Tinubu is non-apologetic about his respect for our diversities and wouldn’t want to do anything that would hurt anyone.
“President Tinubu did not authorise any agreement that could undermine our constitution or laws.
“We did not sign anything that has a clause that challenges our laws.
“We are always conscious of our sovereignty; we respect our two religions,” he declared.
He urged the media to be truthful and patriotic in the handling of reports so as to protect national interests. Bagudu reminded the media that development partners were also sensitive to media reports. “Let us not ridicule ourselves and scare international investors. Nigerians should be allowed to know the truth,” he said. He reminded the media that there were hardworking Nigerians helping the nation secure foreign investments, support, and cooperation.
“We should not undermine their efforts and discourage them from putting in their best for the nation,” he said.
