The Nigerian government has provided clarification on the controversial Samoa Agreement signed with the European Union (EU) on June 28, 2024.
The agreement, signed at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, aims to promote sustainable development, fight climate change, and foster collaboration among OACPS Member States.
“The Samoa Agreement is a vital legal framework for cooperation between the OACPS and the European Union, to promote sustainable development, fight climate change and its effects, generate investment opportunities, and foster collaboration among the OACPS Member States at the international stage,” said Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation.
The government assured that the agreement does not contravene the 1999 Constitution or laws of Nigeria and that extensive reviews and consultations were conducted by an Interministerial Committee before signing.
“None of the 103 Articles and Provisions of the Agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended or laws of Nigeria and other extant Laws,” the government stated.
A Statement of Declaration, dated June 26, 2024, was also issued to clarify Nigeria’s understanding and context of the Agreement within its jurisdiction.
The statement noted that “any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be invalid.”
Addressing concerns about same-sex marriage, the government noted that existing legislation in Nigeria, enacted in 2014, prohibits same-sex relationships.
“It is instructive to note that there is an existing legislation against same-sex relationships in Nigeria enacted in 2014,” the government stated.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, reassured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu’s Administration will not enter into any international agreement detrimental to the country’s interests and citizens.
“In negotiating the Agreement, our officials strictly followed the mandates exchanged in 2018 between the EU and the OACPS for the process, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s Administration, being a rule-based government, will not enter into any international agreement that will be detrimental to the interest of the country and its citizens.”
