SAMOA AGREEMENT AND JOURNALISTIC RED HERRING

Insinuations that the partnership agreement protects LGBTQ rights are unfounded, writes Bolaji Adebiyi  

Because of the press’s persuasive power to shape public opinion, one of its tenets demands accuracy as a core professional value. Accuracy is important because the press is a medium for the dissemination of information that many people use to make decisions or form opinions on critical matters. If incorrect information is pushed out to the public, people might make wrong decisions, or form wrong opinions, which might be detrimental not only to themselves but also the society.

The lead story of Daily Trust of Thursday, 4 July 2024 titled, “LGBT: Nigeria signs $150 billion Samoa deal,” best demonstrates the unsavoury consequence of the dissemination of inaccurate information. The story said Nigeria had signed the Samoa Agreement, which allegedly contained provisions that protected Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer rights on the back of a proposed $150 billion loan.

The story was an instant hit which set the internet ablaze with many Nigeria coming down heavily on the federal government that was presumed to have sold the soul of the nation to the devil. Coming against the background of the controversy over Same-sex Marriage, a tendency that had been outlawed by the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2013, the anger of Nigerians was justified as the agreement would have violated the law.

Whilst it was true that Nigeria had signed the Samoa Agreement, it was false that it had anything to do with either LGBTQ rights or a $150 billion deal. The federal government was swift in issuing a clarification that what it signed was a partnership agreement with the European Union-Member States, along with the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States, to foster inclusive economic growth and development among signatory countries.  

“The Samoa Agreement is nothing else, 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,” Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and Orientation, said in a statement penultimate Thursday.

Despite the clarification, the searing attacks on the government continued, forcing Idris and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, who is responsible for bilateral and multilateral relations, to address a press conference in Abuja on Saturday to clarify the document further. 

“President Bola Tinubu did not authorise anything damaging or hurtful to our sensitivity and we have not signed any such agreement,” Bagudu said at the conference, explaining that the agreement was about cooperation and economic development of the country.

Perhaps, it was an indication of the seriousness of the situation that the government issued two clarifications within 72 hours. Except the newspaper had iron-clad evidence that the government was lying, a retraction of its story was the proper thing to do. But it would dig in despite a fact-check by a respected investigative online platform, The Premium Times, that showed its claims were false. Not even a statement by the Nigerian Bar Association to the effect that it was privy to the draft of the agreement, and gave an all-clean endorsement would sway Daily Trust to retract.

Yet the newspaper could have avoided the publication of this exclusive falsehood if it followed the maxim of journalism that says facts are sacred, opinions are free. Put in possession of an opinion article by a serial human rights agitator, claiming that the agreement contained clauses protective of LGBTQ rights, it contacted the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which was responsible for multilateral and bilateral relations. The ministry told it that the claims were false and made available the relevant sections of the clauses complained of to show that the complaints were unfounded.

Had the newspapers been diligent enough in its treatment of the story, its research would have shown the government’s responsiveness to the sensitive nature of the issue, and the extreme caution it took before assenting to the agreement. The Samoa Agreement was signed on 15 November last year by all 27 EU-Member Countries and 47 of the 79 OACPS countries in Apia, Samoa. Nigeria at that time declined assent due to certain controversial clauses which could create challenges at home.

Upon the Nigerian delegation’s return, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which is responsible for bilateral and multilateral relations, teamed up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to constitute an Inter-ministerial Committee that reviewed the terms of the Agreement to ensure that they do not conflict with the 1999 Constitution as amended and other statutes.

Convinced that none of the 103 Articles offends Nigerian laws, the Committee proceeded to convene a stakeholders’ seminar comprising Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and religious bodies on 8 March 2024 to outline the terms of the Agreement and address concerns. After a consensus on its terms, they were recommended to President Bola Tinubu for approval and assent.

It was part of these cautious steps that it took the government eight months after the signing of the Agreement on 15 November 2023 before Nigeria finally appended its signature on 28 June 2024 at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels, precisely two days before the deadline. By that date all 27 EU-Member Countries and 72 of 79 OACPS Members had signed, leaving Nigeria at 73^rd position.

Again, out of an abundance of caution, Nigeria attached to its assent a 13-point Declaration signed on 26 June 2024, stating its understanding of 13 of the 103 Articles that it felt were ambiguous and could be out of tune with its domestic laws and policies.

Furthermore, Nigeria had a multilateral approach to the agreement, working alongside the members of the OACPS, which was formed in 1975. The Samoa Agreement was not an innovation. It was a follow-up to the Cotonou Agreement signed in 1975 which lapsed on 29 February 2020 but was extended to 2023.

Under the Cotonou Agreement, Nigeria benefitted to the tune of €1.7 billion covering health, water and sanitation, and energy projects. About 4,800 communities benefited from the implementation of over 5,200 EDF projects in the country.

It is significant that despite the grave implication of the false publication and the obstinacy of the newspaper, the government had restrained itself from overacting, choosing to explore the conflict resolution mechanism of the media industry, called the Ombudsman, to seek redress. The hope, though, is that the confidence reposed in that mechanism will not be betrayed.

Adebiyi is media assistant to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu