The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to suspend the Samoa agreement it recently signed.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by deputy minority leader Aliyu Madaki and 88 others, during plenary on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, Madaki argued that there were some “offensive causes” in the agreement.
He said that the said clauses bordered on granting rights to gays and lesbians as part of conditions to enjoy the benefits of the deal.
“The agreement promotes rights which are against extant laws in the country.
“The Federal Government should suspend the implementation of the agreement pending the conclusion of an investigation into the pact,” he said.
Rep. Kingle Chinda, the Minority Leader, in his contribution, said that it was an investigative motion, urging the lawmakers not to be too judgmental.
He said that the content of the agreement was “not yet known”, adding that there was a need to exercise caution.
Rep Usman Kumo, the Chief Whip, in his contribution, supported the motion that the matter be suspended pending investigation by the House.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Samoa agreement recently signed by the Federal Government attracted much interest, with some media houses saying that it would mortgage the culture and beliefs of Nigerians.
The lawmakers, while debating the motion, traded verbal attacks with many shouting at the top of their voices.
Two ministers – Mohammed Idris, information, and Atiku Bagudu, budget and planning – had, on Saturday, addressed the press where they clarified the rising controversies around the deal.
The duo dismissed media reports claiming that the Samoa agreement would force Nigeria into compromising moral values.
Specifically, they said that it had nothing on lesbianism, gay rights and other oddities.
They also dismissed the claims that Nigeria was expected to concede such grounds before grabbing 150 billion dollars as the reward for doing so. According to them, there was nothing about such an amount.
“The agreement was made subject to the local laws and the sovereignty of the contracting nations,” they said.
Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, has also explained that the agreement was in Nigeria’s interest.
According to him, the SAMOA agreement recognised Nigeria’s Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2023 and, of course, the Supremacy of Nigeria’s constitution
Ruling on the motion, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, said that the SAMOA agreement should be suspended pending investigation by the House.
WikkiTimes reports that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said that the SAMOA Agreement does not contain any provisions requiring Nigeria to accept or recognize Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) rights.
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