Catholic Bishops Speak Against Samoa Agreement

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has encouraged the Federal Government to promptly offer revisions to the Samoa Agreement, or to withdraw from it if the amendments are not approved.

On Thursday, July 11, the President of CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri, Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, and the Secretary of CBCN and Bishop of Uromi, Donatus A. Ogun, jointly signed a statement titled “Threats to Nigeria’s sovereignty and values in the Samoa Agreement”.

The Catholic bishops expressed concern that Nigeria’s civil authorities may not fully understand the implications of the document’s nuanced language, which threatens the country’s national sovereignty and values.

The statement reads: “We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as watchmen and guides, deeply committed to the sound moral, religious, and cultural growth of our dear country, hereby clearly highlight what the Samoa Document portends for the future of Nigeria and Nigerians and call on our government to, as a matter of urgency, propose an amendment of the Agreement or withdraw from it.”

The Catholic bishops stated that, while the agreement appears harmless and appealing on the surface, it is deliberately combined with post-modern secularistic ideals that profoundly weaken Nigerian residents’ moral, cultural, and religious values.

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

According to the CBCN, the Samoa Agreement is the third edition of the 1975 Lomé Convention, as the first edition was a trade and aid agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) at the time (with former colonial masters) and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) states (former colonies). They referred to the second edition as the Cotonou Agreement, a pact agreed by the European Union (EU) and the ACP governments in 2000.

They said, “The Samoa Agreement replaced the Cotonou Agreement and was signed off by 44 ACP states out of 79 member countries on 15 November 2023 in Apia, Samoa. Nigeria did not sign it due to concerns with the language relating to sovereignty and African values. It is, however, the case that on 28 June 2024, just days away from the Nigeria-EU business summit held in Abuja on 2 July 2024, Nigeria signed it.”

Speaking about the legal implications of the signing, the CBCN stated that the state parties make it final before deferring to each country’s domestic processes.

They said, “In international law, when the state signs a Treaty, it indicates its intention to be bound by it in the future, and it demonstrates its support for the principles and goals of the Treaty and its willingness to consider ratifying it in the future.

“Given the secrecy surrounding Nigeria’s signing of the Samoa Agreement, it is unclear whether the signature was tendered subject to ratification, acceptance, or approval. Ordinarily, signing a Treaty creates an obligation to refrain, in good faith, from acts that would undermine its object and purpose (Arts 10 &18, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969). Signing a Treaty serves as an intention to be bound by it when it is enforced.

“Under article 98.3 of the Samoa Agreement, Nigeria, by signing it, bound itself to recognise the validity of any measure taken to implement the Agreement after the date of its entry into force.

“Its signing makes Nigeria surrender its position as a persistent objector to the impugned language during negotiations in several international fora. Most of Africa has always counted on the leadership of Nigeria to contest anti-life, anti-family, anti-culture and anti-African values at the United Nations (UN).”

The CBCN stated that Nigeria’s decision not to join the Samoa Agreement in November 2023 was consistent with its long-standing opposition to those concerns, and that its eventual signing has reduced the persistence and consistency of Nigeria’s opposition.

The CBCN said, “The African Bar Association, with headquarters in Nigeria, warned ACP countries to be cautious about the Samoa Agreement. (AfBA communiqués Niamey 2021, Lilongwe 2022, Pretoria, 2023).

“By signing the Agreement, therefore, Nigeria has committed to complying with the impugned and contentious provisions of the Samoa Agreement. Nigeria cannot roll back on contentious provisions without breaching the Agreement.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli