The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, confirmed that Nigeria had signed the $150bn ‘trade component’ agreement.
The agreement, which was reached at the Pacific Island Samoa on November 15, 2023, has continued to gain grounds, especially across countries highly dependent on financial aids.
Opponents of the deal, including civil society organizations and religious groups, argue that the Samoa Agreement includes clauses that require underdeveloped and developing nations to support LGBTQ+ rights as a condition for receiving funds.
However, addressing the controversy over the deal, Bolaji Adebiyi, media assistant to Bagudu, clarified that the agreements referenced by the Minister of Budget during the EU reception focus solely on Nigeria’s economic development.
He stated that the documents do not mention LGBTQ+ issues or same-sex marriage in any form, and it is incorrect to suggest that Nigeria has endorsed such positions.
He insisted that what Bagudu signed was in relation to $150 billion trade component.
“The article does not represent the content of the Samoa Agreement signed by Nigeria. The Articles 2.5 and 29.5 cited made no mention of LGBT rights but rather 29.5 guarantees ‘support [for] universal access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and health care services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes’”, he said.
“Article 2.5 states that: ‘The parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies’.
“I fail to see how these articles imply the protection of LGBT rights. Please, note that this is a negotiated agreement among the 27 EU countries and 79 OACPS, which is subject to domestic laws. All 27 EU countries and 74 of the 79 OACPS have signed. Nigeria was the 73rd to sign last Friday, 28th June, in Brussels.
“Following the controversy around the agreement, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning organised a stakeholders meeting in March in Abuja, comprising NGOs and religious bodies during which concerns were addressed,” he said.
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