The African Bar Association has raised concerns over allegedly deceptive provisions related to LGBT rights in the recently signed Samoa Agreement. In a letter addressed to Nigeria’s House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, dated September 12, 2024, the association identified twelve specific clauses they believe subtly promote an LGBT agenda.
Titled “Re: Identification, Analysis, and Implication of Deceptively Drafted LGBT Provisions in the Samoa Agreement,” the letter claims that embedded references to sexual orientation and gender identity were overlooked during the agreement’s drafting. The association warns that these provisions could undermine Nigeria’s laws and cultural values, which strongly oppose such ideologies.
Despite assurances from Abubakar Bagudu, Nigeria’s Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, that the Samoa Agreement does not reference LGBT or same-sex marriage, critics remain unconvinced. Bagudu had previously stated, “Nowhere in the documents were LGBT or same-sex marriage mentioned even remotely…it would be wrong for anyone to imply that Nigeria had accepted those tendencies.”
Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, President of the Nigerian Bar Association, echoed Bagudu’s stance, affirming that “there is no provision in the SAMOA Agreement that requires Nigeria to accept or recognize LGBTQ or gay rights, either as a precondition for a loan of $150 billion or at all.”
However, organizations like the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria and the African Bar Association’s Family Law Committee voiced concerns that the agreement might inadvertently align Nigeria with international LGBT rights. The Family Law Committee stated that “LGBT affirmative language is, by content, context, and implication, deceptively embedded in the provisions, programming, and implementation of the Samoa Agreement.”
Key concerns include vague language around “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” and clauses related to non-discrimination and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, which the association interprets as promoting LGBT agendas.
Additionally, the association highlighted the involvement of international NGOs and agencies supportive of LGBT rights in implementing the treaty. “Many of the grant recipients for implementing the treaty will be LGBT-supportive NGOs, businesses, and UN agencies that are, even now, working to advance the LGBT agenda in Nigeria with EU funds,” they warned.
Although the association acknowledged that their report was not exhaustive, they urged the House of Representatives to thoroughly examine the Samoa Agreement for provisions that could conflict with Nigeria’s national sovereignty and cultural values.
The House of Representatives is expected to review the findings and determine whether the Samoa Agreement indeed contains provisions that promote LGBT rights.