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 such amendments are not accepted. This appeal was made in a statement titled “Threats to the Sovereignty and Values of Nigeria in the Samoa Agreement,” co-signed by CBCN President and Archbishop of Owerri, Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, and CBCN Secretary and Bishop of Uromi, Donatus A. Ogun.
The bishops expressed concern that Nigerian civil authorities may not fully grasp the implications of the nuanced language in the agreement, which they believe threatens the country’s sovereignty and values. They emphasized their commitment to the moral, religious, and cultural integrity of Nigeria, urging the government to act urgently to amend or withdraw from the agreement.
The CBCN noted that while the Samoa Agreement may seem innocuous at first glance, it contains underlying post-modern secular ideologies that could undermine the moral and cultural beliefs of Nigerians. They elaborated that the Samoa Agreement is the latest iteration of the Lomé Convention of 1975, originally a trade and aid pact between the European Economic Community and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) states.
Though Nigeria did not sign the Samoa Agreement in November 2023 due to concerns over its language regarding sovereignty, it eventually signed it on June 28, 2024, ahead of a Nigeria-EU business summit. The CBCN highlighted that, in international law, signing a treaty indicates a country’s intention to be bound by it in the future, suggesting that Nigeria’s signature could compromise its longstanding objections to certain provisions discussed at international forums.
Furthermore, the CBCN pointed out that Nigeria’s previous refusal to sign the agreement was aligned with its stance against specific contentious issues, and its later signing undermines this position. The African Bar Association had previously cautioned ACP countries about the implications of the Samoa Agreement. By signing, Nigeria has committed to adhering to the controversial provisions, which cannot be retracted without violating the agreement.
