The recent freeze on the U.S. HIV funding, including support for Nigeria, sent shockwaves around the world. Though a temporary waiver has eased the freeze, let’s be clear—this is a warning sign we cannot afford to ignore.
For far too long, we’ve built our healthcare system on a foundation of foreign aid. But here’s the hard truth—if a single policy decision in Washington can put millions of Nigerian lives at risk, then we are standing on shaky ground. It is time we take full ownership of our healthcare system because foreign aid should be a bonus, not a lifeline.
Just last year, the United States invested over $600 million into Nigeria’s health sector. Programs like ‘the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’ have provided life-saving HIV treatment to over 1.6 million Nigerians. The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative has contributed to a 55% drop in malaria deaths since 2000. And let’s not forget their critical role in helping Nigeria eradicate wild polio in 2020.
These contributions have saved lives, and we must acknowledge that. But they also highlight a painful reality—our healthcare system cannot stand on its own.
Take a look around. At Lagos University Teaching Hospital, patients sleep on the floor because there aren’t enough beds.
General Hospital in Makurdi is struggling with broken equipment. In Enugu, mothers are dying from preventable childbirth complications. These are not just statistics—these are our friends, our family, our fellow Nigerians.

And where are our leaders in all this? They fly abroad for medical checkups while ordinary Nigerians are left to suffer. The situation is even worse when you realise how fragile our pharmaceutical industry is. We import 70% of our medicines, including crucial HIV drugs.
Our best doctors and nurses are leaving in droves, searching for better opportunities abroad. And despite being one of Africa’s largest economies , our health budget is painfully low—leaving hospitals underfunded, medical workers underpaid, and patients without proper care.
This isn’t just about money—it’s about priorities. The time for excuses is over. Our government must invest in hospitals, pay our doctors what they deserve, and develop a strong pharmaceutical industry so we can produce essential drugs locally. We need to end corruption, eliminate wasteful spending, and commit to genuine healthcare reform.
Let’s stop waiting for a foreign government to dictate the fate of our people. No one is coming to save us.. Enough is enough. It’s time to take charge of our own destiny. Let’s get to work.