Atiku Wants Full Text of Nigeria-US Health Pact Published After Ghana Said No

Atiku Abubakar has asked the federal government to publish the full text of Nigeria's health agreement with the United States, following Ghana's rejection of a similar proposed deal. The former vice president, now presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said Nigerians deserve to know what was agreed in their name.

The demand was contained in a statement by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communications for the Atiku campaign. It comes after Nigeria signed a five-year health memorandum of understanding with the US in December 2025, covering disease surveillance, health data systems and pathogen-sample procedures, with nearly $2 billion in US grants expected.

What Atiku Wants Released

Atiku said disclosure was necessary to establish whether the concerns that forced Ghana to walk away from its own proposed pact are also present in Nigeria's agreement. He asked the government to release the agreement's annexes, its data-sharing and specimen-sharing protocols, and the financial undertakings attached to it.

"That is precisely why the government must publish the full text. Nigerians should not have to guess what has been agreed in their name," he said.

His campaign tied the demand directly to Ghana's decision. According to the statement, Ghana examined the proposal placed before it and declined. Nigeria, by contrast, has already signed.

"Ghana examined the proposal before it and said no. Nigeria has already signed. Tinubu must now tell Nigerians exactly what he said yes to," Atiku added.

Questions Over Funding Capacity

Atiku also questioned whether Nigeria can meet its side of the financial commitments in the agreement. He pointed to existing funding problems in the health sector, arguing that a government unable to release money for already approved health projects has no clear path to honouring a multibillion-dollar obligation.

"A government that cannot release funds for approved health projects must explain how it intends to honour a multibillion-dollar commitment," he said.

The agreement spans five years and touches on three sensitive areas: how disease outbreaks are tracked, how health data is stored and shared, and how pathogen samples are handled. The nearly $2 billion expected from the US sits on the grants side, but the statement did not set out what Nigeria itself is expected to contribute, which is part of what Atiku wants disclosed.

Why It Matters

The health sector is already stretched, and any new commitment that carries a matching Nigerian obligation will compete with existing budget lines for scarce funds. For businesses and households, the immediate question is whether the pact brings new money into disease surveillance and laboratory capacity, or whether it adds a financing burden the government cannot carry. Until the full text and its annexes are published, that question stays open.