The Federal Government has partnered with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to strengthen accountability and prevent corruption in Nigeria’s health sector.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare disclosed this in a statement on Monday by it’s Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, following the inauguration of a Joint Task Team between the ministry and the ICPC.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the initiative was aimed at preventing the diversion and misuse of health resources before they affect service delivery.

He stressed that public funds allocated to the sector must translate into better healthcare services and tangible benefits for Nigerians.

“When those resources are diverted, the cost is not abstract. It is a medicine that never arrives, equipment that is unavailable when needed, or a service that falls short. In this sector, corruption can cost lives,” he said.

The minister described the Joint Task Team as “an instrument for institutional change” rather than another government committee, saying its focus would be on prevention, stronger institutions and improved oversight.

He said the government had taken steps to improve accountability in health financing, including under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) 2.0.

According to him, 774 Performance and Financial Management Officers have been deployed, with one assigned to each Local Government Area, to independently verify the receipt and utilisation of funds.

Pate also disclosed that inistry was using verified National Identification Numbers to authenticate beneficiaries, prevent duplication and improve transparency in the management of health resources.

He said the accountability framework must apply to financing, procurement, infrastructure, medicines and healthcare delivery.

Pate noted that the partnership with ICPC aligns with the first pillar of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which focuses on governance, regulation, standards and accountability.

“Investment without integrity cannot deliver sustainable results,” he said.

He charged members of the Joint Task Team to work independently and ensure their recommendations result in lasting institutional reforms.

“Identify the vulnerabilities. Recommend practical safeguards. And make sure your work outlasts the life of this Team,” he said.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the ICPC, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, represented by the commission’s Executive Secretary, Clifford Oparaodu, said the task team would give practical effect to the Memorandum of Understanding between the commission and the Ministry of Health.

Aliyu said the partnership would strengthen transparency and preventive oversight in the management of health-sector resources, particularly the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.

He stressed that funds meant for primary healthcare must reach the facilities and beneficiaries for whom they were intended and be used transparently and in line with due process.

“Its purpose must be reflected in concrete outcomes,” he said.

According to him, prevention remained one of the ICPC’s key mandates, particularly through identifying weaknesses in government processes that could create opportunities for corruption.

“It is a cheaper, less intrusive but more enduring or sustainable way of fighting corruption,” he said.

He stressed that corruption in the health sector has consequences beyond financial losses, as it can affect healthcare access and key health indicators.

“Corruption in the health sector is not measured only in financial losses or accounting irregularities. The losses are measured in maternal and infant mortality rates, rates of immunization, mortality from preventable diseases, easy and affordable access to medical care at all levels,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said effective management of health resources was critical to achieving better health outcomes.

Kachollom said the ministry’s responsibility was to save lives, reduce the physical and financial burden of ill-health and improve access to healthcare.

“It is against this background that we consider this partnership with the ICPC both timely and important,” she said.

She disclosed that the memorandum would run for two years, subject to renewal, while the task team would be co-chaired by the Director of Hospital Services and a director of the ICPC.

According to her, the team would have its secretariat at the BHCPF Secretariat and conduct assessments after each quarterly disbursement of the fund.

“In other words, this is a Team designed to be embedded in how the Ministry already works, not to sit outside it,” she said.

The co-chairmen of the task team, Dr Abisola Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services, and Shehu Gambo, Assistant Director, Financial Investigation, ICPC, pledged to carry out the assignment transparently and diligently.

The Joint Task Team was formally inaugurated by the Coordinating Minister and the ICPC Chairman, with its members tasked with developing practical measures to strengthen accountability and ensure value for money in the health sector