The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded that the Federal Government disclose full details of the health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the United States, citing conflicting descriptions of the agreement by both governments.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the call in a statement released on Sunday, January 18, expressing concern over what appears to be different versions of the same agreement presented by Nigeria and the U.S.
According to the statement, while the Federal Government described the MoU as a technical framework for strengthening health security and expanding primary healthcare, the U.S. Embassy’s description introduced religious and identity-based elements.
“While the Federal Government has presented the MoU as a technical and inclusive framework aimed at strengthening health security, expanding primary healthcare, and increasing domestic health financing, official statements released by the United States Embassy describe the same agreement in materially different terms.
“The U.S. 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 read.
The ADC said it was troubled that such conditionalities were missing from the Federal Government’s public presentation of the agreement.
“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 party stated.
The party described the conflicting accounts as a transparency issue rather than a communications problem.
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“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,” the statement said.
The ADC also questioned the financial burden Nigeria is shouldering under the agreement, noting that Nigeria is committing more funds than the United States.
“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,” the statement explained.
The party argued that any agreement introducing identity-based distinctions in healthcare delivery violates Nigeria’s Constitution, particularly Section 42(1), which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
“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,” the statement quoted.
The ADC called on the Federal Government to publish the full text of the signed MoU and provide clear explanations about the identity-based elements mentioned by the U.S.
“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,” the party demanded.
The party emphasised that healthcare must remain neutral, inclusive, and universally accessible, warning that introducing identity considerations into health financing could undermine public trust and endanger vulnerable institutions and workers.