ADC asks FG to clarify Nigeria–US health MoU amid concerns over ‘conflicting framings’
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged the federal government to urgently clarify the contents of the health cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between Nigeria and the United States, citing concerns over what it described as conflicting framings of the agreement.
In December, the United States signed a five-year bilateral health MoU with Nigeria aimed at strengthening the country’s health system, with a strong focus on supporting Christian faith-based healthcare providers.
The agreement is expected to expand access to essential preventive and curative services, including interventions for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and polio.
Under the MoU, the US government plans to commit nearly $2.1 billion to Nigeria’s health sector over five years, while Nigeria is expected to increase its domestic health spending by almost $3 billion within the same period.
The US government has said the agreement remains subject to its broader foreign policy priorities, noting that its president and secretary of state reserve the right to pause or terminate programmes that do not align with US national interests.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, said the party was disturbed by what he described as “materially different” representations of the agreement by both governments.
He said while the Nigerian government has presented the MoU as an inclusive framework designed to strengthen health security and boost domestic health financing, official statements from the US introduced “identity-based elements” that were absent from Nigeria’s account.
According to Abdullahi, the US framing suggests that funding under the MoU could be directed at health institutions associated with a particular religion, which he argued violates Nigeria’s constitutional provisions on non-discrimination and national unity.
“The US characterisation introduces religious, identity-based framing, indicating that spending under the MoU should be targeted at health institutions backed by a particular religion only,” the statement reads.
“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.”
Abdullahi said the discrepancies raise broader concerns about transparency, constitutional compliance, and national sovereignty.
Citing section 42(1) of the 1999 Constitution, he noted that no Nigerian “shall be discriminated against on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, or political opinion”.
He added that sections 15 and 17 of the constitution place 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,” he said.
“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 ADC spokesperson called on the federal government to clearly state which version of the agreement reflects the actual terms signed and explain the significant differences between the two accounts.
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