Federal government has clarified that the Samoa Agreement it signed at the Organisation African, Caribbean and Pacific, OACPS, on June 28, 2024, is in the interest of the country.
Nigeria on June 28 signed the Samoa Agreement, a partnership agreement between the EU and its Member States, on one hand, and the members of the OACPS on the other, at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium.
Negotiations on the agreement started in 2018, on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly.
It was signed in Apia, Samoa, on November 15, 2018, by all 27 EU Member states and 47 of the 79 OACPS member-states.
Giving clarification on the status of the agreement on Thursday, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris says it has 103 articles comprising a common foundational compact and three regional protocols, namely Africa-EU; Caribbean-EU, and Pacific-EU Regional Protocols with each regional protocol addressing the peculiar issues of the regions.
According to the minister, “The African Regional Protocol consists of two parts.
“The first is the Framework for Cooperation, while the second deals with Areas of Cooperation, containing 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 signed the Agreement on Friday, 28 June 2024.
“This was done after the extensive reviews and consultations by the Interministerial Committee, convened by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ). It was ensured that none of the 103 Articles and Provisions of the Agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended or laws of Nigeria, and other extant Laws.
“In addition, Nigeria’s endorsement was accompanied by a Statement of Declaration, dated 26th June 2024, clarifying its understanding and context of the Agreement within its jurisdiction to the effect that any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be invalid. It is instructive to note that there is an existing legislation against same sex relationship in Nigeria enacted in 2014.”
Idris assured Nigerians that the President Bola Tinubu administration, “being a rule-based government, will not enter into any international agreement that will be detrimental to the interest of the country and its citizens. In negotiating the Agreement, our officials strictly followed the mandates exchanged in 2018 between the EU and the OACPS for the process.
He described the Samoa Agreement as a vital legal framework for cooperation between the OACPS and the European Union to promote sustainable development, fight climate change and its effects, generate investment opportunities and foster collaboration among OACPS member-states at the international stage.
