Samoa Agreement: No LGBTQ condition or $150bn deal for Nigeria, BBC finds

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Di Samoa Agreement wey Nigeria recently sign no require di kontri to recognise LGBTQ or same sex unions – di agreement no also provide $150 billion component for di kontri, BBC finding show.

One copy of di 172-page Samoa Agreement wey we retrieve from di European Commission website no include any clause wey support same sex relationships, unless di kontri bin sign anoda version, wey be say we no find di evidence.

However, one section of di document highlight di commitment to address discrimination and violence based on various grounds, including sexual orientation wey all parties including African, Caribbean and Pacific nations dey expected to address.

Article 11 under di Inclusive and Pluralistic Societies state: “Dem (OACPs) gatz take effective measures to identify and address discrimination and violence based on any ground, including race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or oda opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability, age, or sexual orientation.”

Since di signing of di agreement dey announced, report comot say e include $150 billion dollar deal between Nigeria and di European Union. But Nigeria budget and economic planning ministry tell di BBC say na lie – di ministry of information also tok di same tin for one statement wey dem issue on Thursday.

For one chat wit di BBC, di Special Assistant on Media to di Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Bolaji Adebiyi tok say di information na lie and misrepresentation of facts.

“$150 billion deal no dey. Dat na false information wey come from one national daily. Wetin dey signed na di Samoa agreement and di ministry don make statement on di framework wey dey signed.” Adebiyi tok.

BBC review of one draft of di Samoa agreement wey we retrieve from di EU also show no evidence of such financial commitments. Di European Commission Secretariat neva respond to di BBC request for comment on di controversies.

For November 2023, di European Union, dia 27 member states and 49 out of di 79 member states of di Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) bin sign one agreement for Apia, di capital city of di Island kontri of Samoa.

Under di ‘Samoa agreement’, all parties dey required to prioritise and address issues wey dey happun for dia regions including: Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth and Development; Human and Social Development; Environment, Natural Resources Management, and Climate Change; Peace and Security; Human Rights, Democracy and Governance; and Migration and Mobility.

Nigeria bin sign di agreement last Friday but Atiku Bagudu wey be di kontri Minister of Budget and Economic Planning make am public dis week.

E dey expected to deliver monetary values in terms of support and interventions from di EU parties to di OACP states. However di agreement no explicitly quote any monetary intervention.

For Nigeria media space, reactions dey follow di signing of di Samoa Agreement as many dey allege say di EU agreement to release $150 billion to Nigeria come wit di condition say di kontri gatz support same sex relationships, despite say Nigeria don criminalise same sex marriages.

Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu Senior Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun tok for one tweet on im official X handle say, “Di documents wey di federal goment sign, dey strictly for economic development of Nigeria, nowia for di documents wey LGBT or same sex marriage bin dey mentioned even remotely, and e go dey wrong for anyone to imply say Nigeria don accept dose tendencies. Wetin Bagudu sign dey in relation to $150 billion trade component”. A quote e credit to di Media Assistant to the Minister of Budget, Bolaji Adebiyi, wey don describe am as lie.

Nigeria information ministry for one statement, say none of di 103 Articles for di agreement contravene di kontri laws.

“Nigeria endorsement dey accompanied by one Statement of Declaration, dated 26th June 2024, wey clarify im understanding and context of di Agreement within im jurisdiction to di effect say any provision wey no dey consistent wit di laws of Nigeria gatz dey invalid. E dey instructive to note say existing legislation dey against same sex relationships for Nigeria wey dey enacted for 2014,” di statement read in part.