By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement until all controversial clauses are clearly defined to make sure they do not violate any law in Nigeria.

The House also mandated the Committees on National Planning and Economic Development, Justice, Treaties, Protocol and Agreements to interface on the matter.

This followed the adoption of a motion by the Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki, and 88 others, at Tuesday’s plenary, calling attention to some allegedly offensive clauses in the agreement.

According to Madaki, in his lead debate, the agreement purportedly promotes LGBT rights, which are against extant laws in the country.

He said that the implementation of the agreement is a supremacy Clause, and thus violates Nigeria’s sovereignty.

He said some other articles, especially articles 2 5, 29.5, 36 2, and 88 in the Samoa Agreement that was signed by the Federal Government may be inimical to the interest of Nigeria as a country and the values of the Nigeria people as a whole more so it does not contain a reservation clause.

He also explained that Article 2.5 states that parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all countries.

“The phrase gender equality as reported is a Trojan horse for deceptively bringing in all sort of immorality to our country, as gender no longer means two sexes male and female as traditionally understood, it now includes homosexualism, lesbianism, transgenderism and animalism.

“The signing of such an agreement with the aforementioned clauses, if true violates our sovereignty and is a clear contravention of section 7 of the 1999 constitution as amended. The Federal Government may have signed the agreement without exhaustive consultations and consideration for possible long-term consequences.

Debating on the motion, the leader of the House, Julius Ihonvbere said that the public has been misled about the agreement, insisting that the LGBTQ was not included in the agreement.

“Let me state, there is no portion of the agreement that is on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer. If you have it, bring it here. Three ministers have come out, including the Minister of Information and Budget and Planning, to say that there is nothing like that in the agreement and that it was never mentioned.

“It was never mentioned, and there is nothing like lesbian rights in the agreement. If you have the agreement, bring it out here. There is nothing like that.

Also speaking on the motion, Hon Ikwechegh Alexander (Abia-LP) said that the agreement has certain clauses that are at variance with Nigeria’s values and culture.

“We are Africans, not Westerners. We have our way of life and way of doing things.

On his part, the Minority Leader of the House Kingsley Chinda, called on the House to exercise caution on the motion, adding that it was an investigative matter.

This is an investigative motion, I will caution that we should not be judgmental in our argument. It is clear when the federal government is going into any agreement, by section 12 of the 1999 constitution, the parliament ought to be carried along.

“If the parliament had been carried along, this argument, even for the people would represent, would not have come up because Nigerians would have been better informed.

“The problem is about the lack of information. As parliament, we want to be satisfied that what the government told Nigerians is the truth. That is all we are arguing for.

Recall that the federal government recently signed the Samoa Agreement, which has been trailed by controversy, with several Nigerians kicking against it.