Samoa Agreement: Reps Mandates Committee To Probe Agreement, Urges FG To Halt Implementation

By Ayodele Oni

The House of Representatives has mandated its relevant committees to probe controversial provisions of agreement in Samoa agreement with European Union, (EU).

This is just as the House moved a motion urging the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the contentious accord until all the clauses are addressed and spelt out.

The Samoa Agreement signed by the Federal Government with the European Union, have been receiving heavy backlash with many frowning at what they perceive as giving recognition to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, LGBT, rights.

A member of the House, Aliyu Madaki, while moving the motion on Tuesday, drew attention to the clause which highlights “gender equality”, describing it as a Trojan horse which could violate the morals of the country.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, alongside his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Mohammed Idris, had at a press conference on Saturday, said Nigeria won’t enter into an agreement that was antithetical to the Constitution, as well as the religious and cultural sensibilities of the heterogeneous people of the country.

Bagudu had explained that Nigeria signed the  agreement to boost food security and inclusive economic development, amongst other objectives.