- Legal practitioner Inibehe Effiong criticized claims that the Samoa Agreement has no connection to LGBTQ issues, calling it “intellectual duplicity”
- Effiong highlighted that Article 15 of the agreement prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, which indirectly includes LGBTQ
Legal practitioner Inibehe Effiong has criticized claims that the Samao Agreement is unrelated to LGBTQ issues, calling them “intellectual duplicity.” Effiong made this statement during an interview on Friday on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
He highlighted that Article 15 of the agreement prohibits discrimination or violence based on gender, political orientation, and sexual orientation, which indirectly includes LGBTQ.
“The starting point is to say that by Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, no treaty between Nigeria and any other country should have the force of law except to the extent to which the treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly,” Effiong explained.
He emphasized that Nigeria, as a responsible member of the international community, is expected to comply with international treaties and agreements to the extent that they have coercive effects on Nigeria, meaning these agreements are expected to be enforceable.
Regarding the Samao Agreement, Effiong noted, “The Federal Government has come out to say in a dismissive tone that this has nothing to do with LGBTQ. I beg to differ. Article 15 of that agreement contains very interesting language. It prohibits discrimination or violence based on gender, political orientation, and sexual orientation. Sexual orientation includes LGBTQ.”
Effiong concluded by saying, “I think it amounts to intellectual duplicity to claim that the Samao Agreement has nothing to do with LGBTQ. The argument should have been whether being a signatory to this agreement will supersede the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act.”