By Nkiruka Nnorom
Nigeria may be excluded from a new $1.4 billion U.S health and humanitarian assistance package announced earlier this week if the Federal Government fails to take measurable actions to address violence against Christians, according to terms contained in a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed by both countries.
The MOU, signed on December 20, 2025 between the U.S Department of State and the Nigerian government under the America First Global Health Strategy, AFGHS, commits Washington to nearly $2.1 billion over five years to expand preventative and curative services for HIV, TB, malaria, maternal and child health and polio. Under the MoU, Nigeria is also expected to increase its domestic health spending by nearly $3 billion during the term, an expenditure that has been described as the largest co-investment under AFGHS.
A significant portion of the U.S funding is earmarked for Nigeria’s 900 faith-based clinics and hospitals, which currently serve more than 30 percent of Nigerians.However, the deal contains strict conditions. The MOU states that the agreement was “negotiated in connection with reforms the Nigerian government has made to prioritize protecting Christian populations from violence” and includes “significant dedicated funding” for Christian health facilities. Crucially, it adds: “As with all foreign assistance, the President and Secretary of State retain the right to pause or terminate any programme which do not align with the national interest, and the Trump administration expects Nigeria to continue to make progress ensuring that it combats extremist religious violence against vulnerable Christian populations.”
