CSOs Protest Against Alleged Plans by Tinubu to Sign Pro-LGBTQ Agreement with EU-ACP
In a subtle introduction of LGBTQ considerations in Nigeria, civil society groups have rallied against purported intentions by President Bola Tinubu to endorse a pro-LGBTQ agreement with the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) nations.
On November 15, 2023, the European Union dedicated efforts to encourage ACP countries to commit to an LGBTQ agreement between the EU and ACP nations. Over the past months, multiple meetings have transpired between EU and ACP parliamentarians, striving to secure signatures on the contentious LGBTQ agreement.
An influential meeting between EU and ACP Ministers occurred in Brussels on November 28, 2022, aiming to intensify pressure on ACP Ministers to persuade their respective heads of governments to endorse the LGBTQ agreement. Another session with a similar objective unfolded from June 19 to 28, 2023, in Brussels.
Nigerian civil society groups now implore Tinubu to refrain from signing the agreement, emphasizing its perceived contradiction to cherished Nigerian values. Sonnie Ekwowusi, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, asserted, “This cannot proceed because LGBTQ is illegal in Nigeria. The Safe-Sex Provision Act of 2014, enacted during Jonathan’s government, still stands. Signing a document promoting LGBTQ is entirely unacceptable; Nigeria should firmly say ‘No’.”