{
  "id": 10751807,
  "title": "Atiku: Ghana rejected its health deal, Tinubu show Nigerians what you signed",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/atiku-ghana-rejected-its-health-deal-tinubu-show-nigerians-what-you",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T16:21:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/atiku-ghana-rejected-its-health-deal-tinubu-show-nigerians-what-you-signed/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Vice President and ACP presidential contender Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate release of Nigeria's health agreement with the United States after Ghana rejected a similar deal due to worries about medical records, pathogen details, funding duties and the examination of imported drugs. Nigeria inked its five-year health Memorandum of Understanding with the US on December 19, 2025. The agreement covers disease monitoring, health data systems and procedures involving pathogen samples. The US is projected to offer around $2 billion in grants, while Nigeria promises health spending that could raise nearly $3 billion within five years. Atiku argued that these pledges should be weighed against the state of healthcare in the country. According to the most recent internationally comparable data, Nigeria witnessed 75,000 maternal deaths in 2023, the highest number globally. \"Each of those deaths symbolizes a woman whose family anticipated her return home,\" Atiku stated in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication of the ACP presidential campaign council. Atiku questioned the administration's capacity to fulfill its domestic funding pledges when even approved health projects have struggled to secure funding. Health Minister Professor Muhammad Ali Pate informed legislators that, during his budget statement, only ₦36 million had been disbursed from the ₦218 billion allocated for capital projects and programs at the Ministry of Health headquarters in 2025. \"A government that cannot release funds for approved health projects must explain how it intends to honor a multibillion-dollar commitment,\" Atiku said. \"A signed partnership cannot staff a maternity ward, supply a hospital or save a woman in labor. Nigerians need to see the funding and the care.\" He urged the Federal Government to publish the full Memorandum of Understanding, along with all related protocols, annexes, data-sharing agreements, specimen-sharing arrangements and financial commitments. \"Can Nigerians' medical information or pathogen samples leave the country? Who may access them? What safeguards protect patients? Does NAFDAC retain full authority to inspect medicines and medical products? What exactly have the Federal Government and the states promised to spend?\" Atiku questioned. \"Tinubu should present the documents to Nigerians and answer these questions plainly.\" Nigeria supports international collaboration that saves lives, Atiku added, but the government must be answerable for the terms it accepts and the outcomes it achieves. The same obligation of openness, he emphasized, applies to the administration's other international commitments, including its expanding partnership with France.",
  "summary": "Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate publication of Nigeria’s health agreement with the United States, following President John Mahama’s disclosure that Ghana rejected a proposed compact over concerns about medical records, pathogen information, funding obligations and the inspection of imported medicines. Nigeria signed its five-year…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "This Day",
        "title": "Atiku Demands Publication of Nigeria-US Health Deal, Says ‘Ghana Rejected Its Health Deal’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/atiku-demands-publication-of-nigeria-us-health-deal-says-ghana",
        "published": "2026-09-29T16:59:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}