$5.1bn: ADC Tells Federal Govt To Come Clean On U.S/Nigeria Health Deal, Alleges Constitutional Breach

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Federal Government to clarify the contents of the recently signed health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and the United States, citing conflicting public descriptions of the agreement by both governments.

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The party claimed that Abuja presented the MoU as a technical, inclusive framework to strengthen health security and expand primary healthcare, while official statements from the United States introduce identity-based framing that may be in breach of Nigeria’s constitutional provisions on non-discrimination.

The ADC was referring to a statement by the US Mission in Nigeria, entitled “Strengthening US-Nigeria Health Cooperation Under The America First Global Health Strategy,” which was on  the website of the US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria, dated December 21, 2025.

According to the US statement, the US signed a five-year, $5.1 billion bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Republic of Nigeria December 19 to advance the America First Global Health Strategy.

It added that under the five-year MOU, the United States intends to commit nearly $2.1 billion in health assistance, with nearly $3.0 billion in new domestic health expenditures by the Government of Nigeria over the same five-year period.

“Under the MOU, the United States will continue to support surveillance and outbreak response, laboratory systems, health commodities; frontline healthcare workers, and data systems.

“U.S. assistance under the MOU will expand access to affordable, preventive and curative services for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, polio, and maternal and child health, strengthening health outcomes across Nigeria.

“The MOU places a strong emphasis on Christian faith-based healthcare providers, recognizing their indispensable role in delivering care to communities in need. “Nigeria’s more than 900 faith-based clinics and hospitals serve more than 30 percent of the country’s 230 million people, often in areas where healthcare facilities are limited or absent.

“The MOU provides approximately $200 million in dedicated support to strengthen and support these Christian facilities, enhance workforce capacity, and expand access to integrated HIV, TB, malaria, and maternal child health services.

“Investments in Christian faith-based health institutions are uniquely positioned to complement public-sector facilities and reinforce Nigeria’s overall health infrastructure.

“The MOU was negotiated in connection with reforms undertaken by the Government of Nigeria to prioritize the protection of Christian populations from extremist violence. As with all U.S. foreign assistance, the President and Secretary of State retain the right to pause or terminate programs that do not align with U.S. national interests, and the United States expects Nigeria to continue making measurable progress in combating religiously motivated violence against Christian communities.”

In its reaction however, ADC said the statement from the United States depicted discretionary termination powers that subordinate Nigeria’s interests and raise serious questions about national sovereignty.

A statement by the national publicity secretary of ADC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said Nigeria’s presentation of the MoU is not the same as official statements released by the US embassy.

Abdullahi alleged that the Nigerian government portrayed the MoU as a technical and inclusive framework aimed at strengthening health security, expanding primary healthcare, and increasing domestic health financing.

He however said the U.S. characterisation of the health deal  introduced religious, identity-based framing, indicating that spending under the MoU should be targeted at health institutions backed by a particular religion only.

“It is the ADC’s considered view that the Nigerian government should not enter into any agreement that is sectional or potentially inimical to Nigeria’s constitutional commitment to inclusion and national unity.

“We find it particularly curious that these troubling conditionalities, including those that grant the United States unilateral powers of termination, are conspicuously missing from the Federal Government’s public rendering of the agreement.

“The ADC believes that this divergence is not a mere communications issue. Instead, it appears calculated to avoid public scrutiny, thereby raising fundamental questions about transparency, constitutional compliance, and Nigeria’s sovereignty. Nigerians are entitled to know which version of this agreement reflects the actual terms that were signed, and why such consequential differences exist between Abuja’s account and Washington’s.”

The ADC spokesman said the party supports foreign assistance and bilateral cooperation to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, but that such partnerships must respect Nigeria’s diversity and must comply with its constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion or ethnicity.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 42(1) states: “No citizen of Nigeria shall be discriminated against on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, or political opinion.” Similarly, Sections 15 and 17 impose a duty on the state to promote national integration, eliminate discrimination, and guarantee equality of rights and opportunities for all citizens.

“Therefore, any international agreement, or public framing of such an agreement, that appears to introduce identity-based distinctions into the provision of public services raises serious constitutional and national cohesion concerns. We are particularly at a loss as to why the Nigerian Government would enter into such an agreement, especially considering that Nigeria is reportedly committing more resources under the arrangement.”

The opposition party said the MoU states that the United States is expected to provide approximately two billion dollars in grant support over five years, while Nigeria has reportedly committed close to three billion dollars in domestic health financing over the same period.

“It is difficult to justify an arrangement in which Nigeria bears the larger financial burden, yet decisions regarding target beneficiaries and the discretion to pause or terminate cooperation appear to rest outside the country.

“Healthcare is a core public good that must remain neutral, inclusive, and universally accessible. The injection of identity considerations into health financing or security-linked performance assessments risks politicising care delivery, undermining public trust, and exposing already vulnerable institutions and workers to avoidable tension and danger.

“The ADC therefore calls on the Federal Government to come clean by publishing the full text of the signed MoU, including any annexes or accompanying instruments, and to clearly explain whether the identity-based and security-linked elements referenced by the United States form part of the agreement Nigeria actually signed or exist solely within foreign policy interpretations.

“Nigerians also deserve a clear explanation of how this agreement aligns with the Constitution and preserves Nigeria’s sovereign authority over its public policy choices,” Abdullahi said.