By Sonnie Ekwowusi
This week is crucial for the socio-economic and political development of Africa and her advancement of her strategic interests in the comity of nations. The African parliamentarians, Ambassadors, diplomats and Ministers of government (inclusive of Nigerian parliamentarians, Ambassadors, diplomats and Ministers) are meeting this week with their European counterparts in Maputo, Mozambique, to, inter alia, deliberate on how to get the 48 African Countries (Nigeria inclusive), 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific Countries to sign the controversial and devious agreement between the European Union and Africa-Caribbean and Pacific countries (EU-ACP Agreement, for short). The EU-ACP Agreement is intended to replace the controversial Cotonou Agreement of 2000. Therefore any African country that signs the EU-ACP Agreement has signed its death warrant. Why? Because the country has consented to legalization of lesbianism, homosexualism, transgenderism, queer behaviorism LGTBQ1+ socialization, gay marriage, population and human capital reduction on its soil. Sadly enough, the EU-ACP Agreement specifically targets African children for corruption and destruction. Therefore any African country that signs this Agreement is indirectly consenting that its children should be taught how to practice “safe”-sex, “safe”-abortion; how to do masturbation, kissing, hugging, penis touching, vagina touching and how to avoid getting pregnant through sterilization and so forth, all in the name of sex education or Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).
Aside transgenderism and LGBT1+, the revised EU-ACP Agreement, which in actual fact is in form of a treaty, includes new obligations on abortion rights and teen safe-sexual rights. The Agreement is deceptively aimed at advancing the European Union’s abortion, sex education and LGBT agenda for Africa. Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the Agreement is that it overrides the Constitutions and sovereignties of African countries. For example, in contrast to Monroe doctrine, Nigeria operates the Dualist doctrine. By virtue of section 12 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution a signed treaty does not have the force of law in Nigeria without ratification and domestication by the National Assembly. But the EU-ACP treaty trade Agreement has been craftily worded in such a way that it purportedly automatically binds a country which has signed it. Therefore the EU-ACP Agreement threatens to undermine national sovereignty of countries that are parties to the Agreement. It is targeted at overriding the domestic laws and constitutions of African countries. To that effect, there is a major decision-making body created by the EU-ACP treaty which is empowered to ensure that the Agreement is binding on the African countries that had signed it. The Agreement is deceptively designed to increase the EU’s power to impact the laws and policies of African countries.
The transgender movement is the effort to distort the basic anthropological assumptions about the human person. Transgenderism denies the biological basis of manhood and womanhood. Transgenderism is anti-God as much as it is anti-nature. It is anti-human. Transgenderism originated in the radical feminist work which started after World War II. The founding mother of radical feminism is French thinker called Simone de Beauvoir. She is the author of the book entitled: The Second Sex. The book was published in 1953. This strange woman started her book with this query: ‘What is a woman?’ Her answer to this query led to the formulation of the contemporary feminist thought. For example, she scribbled in her book that it is society, not God, that determines who is a man or a woman. In other words, gender is purely a social construct not a biological construct. That is, despite one’s biological sex, the society has a final say in defining who is a man or who is a woman. Gender is in constant flux. You can decide to be a man today and tomorrow decide to be a woman. Scientifically speaking, the concept of changing one’s biological sex through transgenderism is arrant nonsense. One’s sex is determined by inalterable chromosomes. So whereas an individual cam change his hormone levels and undergo surgery to a better physical imitation of the opposite sex, the individual cannot change his male or female chromosomes. A person born a male remains a male from the day of his conception till the moment of death. Conversely, a person born a female will remain a female from her conception till the moment of death. So, persons suffering from gender dysphonia or intersex disorders are sick. Besides having pity on them, we should take them to the psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and psychologists for treatment.
Therefore the African Parliamentarians, Ambassadors and Ministers (and their Nigerian counterparts) attending the Maputo Assembly this week are respectfully urged to reject in toto the devious and deceptively-crafted EU-ACP Agreement. International law binds upon consensus of nations. The so-called teen “sexual rights”, transgender rights, abortion rights and LGBT1+ provisions in the EU-ACP treaty Agreement which the EU is trying to force down the throats of the 48 African countries (Nigeria inclusive) in Maputo has never been agreed upon by nations in any international human rights instrument or other consensus document. In other words, there is no consensus among nations accepting it as a binding international law. More importantly, the EU-ACP Agreement has no regard for the cultural, religious and philosophical convictions of the African people.
The consensus reached at the various United Nations Conferences, is that the law passed in every developing county including Nigeria must reflect the diverse social, economic and environmental conditions of that country, with full respect for their religious, cultural backgrounds and philosophical convictions. LGTBQ1+ contained in the Agreement is illegal in Nigeria. In fact, the very notion of same-sex cohabitation or “marriage” is abhorrent to Nigerian sensibilities. Above all, it is a complete break with African civilization. We must stick to our own values and traditions. It is suicidal to import practices and lifestyles which are alien to Nigeria and seek to impose them as laws all in the name of observing international obligations. It is obvious that the EU has no respect for the religious and philosophical convictions of the African people and Nigerian people. Therefore it lacks the locus standi to seek to impose on African countries aberrations that are alien to the lifestyle of the African people. Laws are made in consonance with the values of a people. Every country is interested in protecting what it holds dear or its cherished values. LGTB1+ is not our value. Transgenderism is not our tradition.
The EU should let Africa be Africa again. Down with cultural imperialism!. A time has come for African leaders to assert their independence. A time has come for them to call bluff all these unnecessary neo-colonialist external interferences in Africa’s domestic affairs. Independent African States have a right to govern themselves. Nigeria has a right to govern herself as an independent sovereign State. She is not bound to accept the interpretation of international law adopted by other States especially when it doesn’t accord with her aspirations and objectives. In behaving like this, Nigeria is not violating her international obligation; instead, she is merely exercising her right as an independent sovereign: it is the right of the people of every country to make laws for themselves in accordance with their respective Constitutions. In fact, many countries no longer treat international law as a rigid and imperative code of conduct. The binding nature of international law is a matter of consent of sovereign States. In other words, international law only binds upon consent of sovereign nations, not upon pressure or intimidation from the EU.
What we are witnessing today is the collapse of western civilization. It is true that despite gaining political independence or what some dub flag independence, some independent African States are still helplessly living under the strong economic, political and cultural influence of their former colonial masters. But that shouldn’t give room for any Afro-pessimism. Despite the seemingly irreversible cataclysm that trails Africa it will rise again to occupy its rightful position in the world. Eurocentrism shall give way to Afrocentrism.
