Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate publication of Nigeria's health agreement with the United States. This request follows President John Mahama's disclosure that Ghana rejected a proposed compact due to concerns about medical records, pathogen information, funding obligations, and the inspection of imported medicines. Atiku expressed concerns that Nigerians are unaware of the provisions in the agreement signed by Tinubu.
Nigeria signed a five-year health Memorandum of Understanding with the United States on 19 December 2025. The agreement covers disease surveillance, health data systems, and procedures involving pathogen samples. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the US is expected to provide nearly $2 billion in grants, while Nigeria has made health spending commitments projected to mobilise nearly $3 billion over five years. Atiku questioned how these commitments would be measured against the current state of healthcare in Nigeria.
The latest internationally comparable estimates put Nigeria's maternal deaths at 75,000 in 2023, the highest total in the world. Atiku stated that every one of those deaths represents a woman whose family expected her to come home. He expressed disappointment that despite having more than three years to show results, the government has not made childbirth safer. Atiku demanded to know where the results are.
Atiku also questioned how the administration would fulfil its domestic funding commitments when approved health projects have struggled to receive funds. Health Minister Professor Muhammad Ali Pate told lawmakers that only ₦36 million had been released from the ₦218 billion appropriated for capital projects and programmes at the Ministry of Health headquarters in 2025. Atiku stated that a government that cannot release funds for approved health projects must explain how it intends to honour a multibillion-dollar commitment.
Atiku called on the Federal Government to publish the complete Memorandum of Understanding, together with every related protocol, annex, data-sharing arrangement, specimen-sharing agreement, and financial undertaking. He demanded to know if Nigerians' medical information or pathogen samples can leave the country, who may access them, and what safeguards protect patients. Atiku also asked if NAFDAC retains full authority to inspect medicines and medical products.
Atiku stated that Nigeria welcomes international cooperation that saves lives, but the government must be accountable for the terms it accepts and the results it delivers. He added that the same duty of disclosure applies to the administration's other international agreements. The government must provide transparency and answer questions plainly regarding the health deal.
Atiku's request for transparency comes as Nigerians need to see the funding and care provided. A signed partnership cannot staff a maternity ward, supply a hospital, or save a woman in labour. The government must take concrete actions to address the country's healthcare challenges, and publishing the health deal details is a crucial step towards that.
Key points
- Atiku Abubakar demands Nigeria publish its health agreement with the US.
- The agreement covers disease surveillance, health data systems, and procedures involving pathogen samples.
- Nigeria's maternal deaths were estimated at 75,000 in 2023, the highest total in the world.
