Once again, the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have unanimously Challenged the current Government in their unrelenting efforts to Push for Changes in the Samoa Agreement which they considered obnoxious.
The Correspondent of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA based in Lagos the commercial capital of Nigeria has authentically gathered that the Samoa Agreement that the Nigerian government signed on June 28 will undermine the moral, cultural, and religious beliefs of Nigerian citizens, members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have warned, and called on the government to push for its amendment.
The agreement is an economic partnership between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. It covers six main areas, including democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth, climate change, human social development, peace and security, migration, and mobility.
In their Thursday, July 11 statement, CBCN members say the Samoa Agreement veils “post-modern secularistic ideologies” carefully crafted to undermine African values.
“The agreement looks innocuous and attractive on the surface but underneath it is carefully blended with post-modern secularistic ideologies that significantly undermine the moral, cultural, and religious beliefs of Nigerian citizens,” Catholic Bishops in Nigeria say.
They add, “We are concerned that our civil authorities may not be fully aware of the implications of the nuanced language in the document, which threatens our national sovereignty and values.”
“We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as watchmen and guides, deeply committed to the sound moral, religious, and cultural growth of our dear country, hereby clearly highlight what the Samoa Document portends for the future of Nigeria and Nigerians and call on our government to, as a matter of urgency, propose an amendment of the Agreement or withdraw from it,” CBCN members say.
The signing of the Samoa Agreement by the state parties makes it final. It will then defer to the domestic processes of each country. In international law, when the state signs a Treaty, it indicates its intention to be bound by it in the future, and it demonstrates its support for the principles and goals of the Treaty and its willingness to consider ratifying it in the future.
In their statement, Nigeria’s Catholic Bishops say that there was “secrecy” surrounding the signing of the Samoa Agreement by Africa’s most populous nation, noting that it is unclear whether the signature was tendered subject to ratification, acceptance, or approval.
The signing of the Samoa Agreement, the Catholic Church leaders say, makes Nigeria surrender its position as a persistent objector to the impugned language during negotiations in several international fora.
“Most of Africa has always counted on the leadership of Nigeria to contest anti-life, anti-family, anti-culture and anti-African values at the United Nations,” they say, and recall, “The decision not to sign the Samoa Agreement in November 2023 was consistent with Nigeria’s persistent objection to those issues.” They continue, “Its signing has weakened the persistency and consistency of the objection that Nigeria has always had.”
The CBCN members note that by signing the Agreement, Nigeria has committed to complying with what they describe as “the impugned and contentious provisions” of the Samoa Agreement. “Nigeria cannot roll back on contentious provisions without breaching the Agreement,” they warn.
The Samoa Agreement essentially gives international law status to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, and Abortion through its prolific reference to Gender approaches and the phrase “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”.
The Treaty does not have a glossary of terms or a definitions section to ensure that all parties have the same understanding of terms, which Nigeria’s Catholic Bishops say, may pose a problem in its implementation and evaluation phases.
The Agreement has 61 references to gender equality, gender perspectives, and gender mainstreaming. The most outstanding is Article 2.5, which states that parties to the agreement shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies. According to the CBCN members, gender “is no longer an innocent term.”
“There are over 110 genders that would claim a stake in the term gender equality,” they warn, adding that the agreement also commits Nigeria to ensure that the gender perspective is systematically mainstreamed across all policies and programs. Nigeria shall also ensure that learning materials and teaching methods are gender-responsive.
Nigeria will also have to support universal access to promote Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) by buying sexual and reproductive health commodities and healthcare services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
“Universal access means access by all, including children. This has been the consistent aim of value-free sex education in schools. Comprehensive sexuality education has been about increasing demand for SRHR commodities among children and youth,” Catholic Bishops in Nigeria note.
They suggest that the Nigerian government proposes the insertion of an article in the general Agreement and the African Regional Protocol reading, “Nothing in this binding Agreement can be interpreted to include any obligations regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, comprehensive sexuality education, abortion, contraception, legalization of prostitution, same-sex marriage, or sexual “rights” for children.”
According to the Bishops, if Nigeria calls for amendments to the Samoa Agreement and its protocols, other states in the African Caribbean and Pacific regions may more likely follow suit.
If accepted, this Amendment will go a long way in preventing SRHR from becoming international through an economic partnership agreement.
The Catholic Church leaders further call on the Nigerian government to withdraw from the Samoa Agreement should the EU reject the proposed amendment. “A precedent has already been set by South Africa, which withdrew from the Cotonou Agreement in 2023,” CBCN members say.
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