As countries continue to grow in their approval of same-sex marriage, the Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated its stance against it.
Saving Point Media reports, based on research from Wikipedia, that 36 countries have so far approved same-sex marriage.
These countries include Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.
On Thursday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that the $150 billion Samoa Agreement entered into by the Federal Government was in the best interest of the country.
He emphasized that the agreement did not contravene the Nigerian Constitution or other laws, including the law against same-sex marriage.
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Idris was responding to a report by Daily Trust, which suggested that the Samoa Agreement included clauses requiring underdeveloped and developing nations to support LGBTQ rights as a condition for receiving financial and other forms of support from advanced countries.
This report has led to condemnation from many Nigerians.
In a statement on Thursday, Idris denied that the agreement was meant to promote same-sex relationships in Nigeria.
He clarified, “There is an existing legislation against same-sex relationships in Nigeria enacted in 2014.
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.”
Idris further explained that in negotiating the Agreement, officials strictly followed the mandates exchanged in 2018 between the EU and the OACPS.
He stated, “The Samoa Agreement is nothing but 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 the OACPS member states at the international stage.”
He also noted that the agreement was signed on June 28 “after extensive reviews and consultations by the Interministerial Committee, convened by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Justice.”
He assured that none of the 103 articles and provisions of the agreement contravene the 1999 Constitution, as amended, or the laws of Nigeria.
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