The Digest:
A legal practitioner, Bernard Okpi, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the Bilateral Health Cooperation MoU between Nigeria and the US, signed on December 19, 2025. The suit alleges the agreement violates the National Health Act 2014, Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and constitutional privacy rights by allowing the collection and transfer of sensitive health data (medical records, blood samples, genetic sequencing) to US authorities within five days of request. The plaintiff raised concerns about religious bias toward Christian faith-based facilities, lack of legislative scrutiny, and demanded that the full agreement be published.
Key Points:
- The MoU raises fundamental questions about Nigeria's health data sovereignty and citizens' privacy rights.
- Five-day data transfer window and 25-year duration raise concerns about long-term national control.
- Religious bias allegations could fuel social tensions if faith-based facilities are prioritised.
- US Embassy confirmed the MoU is not publicly available, fuelling transparency concerns.
- $2.1 billion US funding vs $3 billion Nigerian counterpart funding raises equity questions.
Sources: Premium Times, Federal High Court, US Embassy Abuja
