Catholic Bishops Urge Nigerian Government to Amend or Withdraw from Samoa Agreement

 The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has called on the Federal Government to either propose amendments to the Samoa Agreement or withdraw from it if those amendments are not accepted.

In a statement titled “Threats to the Sovereignty and Values of Nigeria in the Samoa Agreement,” released on Thursday, July 11, and jointly signed by CBCN President Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji and CBCN Secretary Bishop Donatus A. Ogun, the bishops expressed concern that Nigeria’s civil authorities may not fully understand the implications of the agreement's nuanced language, which they believe threatens the nation’s sovereignty and values.

The statement reads: “We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as watchmen and guides committed to the moral, religious, and cultural growth of our country, highlight the potential dangers of the Samoa Agreement for Nigeria’s future and call on our government to urgently propose amendments or withdraw from the agreement."

The bishops emphasized that although the agreement appears benign and attractive on the surface, it contains elements of post-modern secular ideologies that undermine the moral, cultural, and religious beliefs of Nigerian citizens.

“We are concerned that our civil authorities may not fully grasp the implications of the nuanced language in the document, which threaten our national sovereignty and values,” the bishops added.

The CBCN explained that the Samoa Agreement is the third iteration of the Lomé Convention of 1975, originally a trade and aid agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) states. The second edition was known as the Cotonou Agreement, signed by the European Union (EU) and ACP states in 2000.

“The Samoa Agreement replaced the Cotonou Agreement and was signed by 44 out of 79 ACP states on November 15, 2023, in Apia, Samoa. Nigeria initially did not sign due to concerns about the language related to sovereignty and African values. However, on June 28, 2024, just days before the Nigeria-EU business summit in Abuja on July 2, 2024, Nigeria signed it,” the statement continued.

Regarding the legal implications of signing the agreement, the CBCN noted that in international law, a state's signature indicates its intention to be bound by the treaty in the future and its support for the treaty's principles and goals. It remains unclear whether Nigeria’s signature was subject to ratification, acceptance, or approval, given the secrecy surrounding the signing.

“Under Article 98.3 of the Samoa Agreement, Nigeria, by signing, is obligated to recognize the validity of any measures taken to implement the agreement after its entry into force. This act makes Nigeria surrender its stance as a persistent objector to the contentious language during negotiations in international forums. Most of Africa has always relied on Nigeria's leadership to oppose anti-life, anti-family, anti-culture, and anti-African values at the United Nations (UN),” the CBCN said.

Nigeria’s initial decision not to sign the Samoa Agreement in November 2023 was consistent with its longstanding objections to these issues. However, the eventual signing has weakened Nigeria's consistent opposition.

The CBCN also noted that the African Bar Association, headquartered in Nigeria, had warned ACP countries to be cautious about the Samoa Agreement (AfBA communiqués Niamey 2021, Lilongwe 2022, Pretoria, 2023).

“By signing the agreement, Nigeria has committed to adhering to its contentious provisions. Nigeria cannot retract these provisions without breaching the agreement,” the bishops concluded.