By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has partnered with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to strengthen accountability and curb corruption in the health sector through a Joint Task Team established to identify institutional weaknesses, tighten preventive controls and safeguard public funds.
The team was inaugurated on Monday, 17 August, 2026, by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, as part of efforts to ensure that resources allocated to healthcare translate into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
Speaking at the inauguration, Pate said the initiative was designed to prevent the diversion and misuse of health resources before such practices undermine service delivery.
He stressed that corruption in the health sector went beyond financial losses, as diverted resources could result in unavailable medicines, delayed equipment and inadequate healthcare services, with potentially fatal consequences.
The minister described the 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.
Pate said the Federal Government had introduced measures to strengthen accountability in health financing, particularly under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) 2.0.
He disclosed that 774 Performance and Financial Management Officers had been deployed, with one assigned to each Local Government Area to independently verify the receipt and utilisation of funds.
The minister also said the ministry was using verified National Identification Numbers to authenticate beneficiaries, prevent duplication and improve transparency in the management of health resources.
He maintained that the same accountability standards must apply to healthcare financing, procurement, infrastructure, medicines and service delivery.
Pate noted that the partnership with the ICPC aligned with the first pillar of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which focuses on governance, regulation, standards and accountability.
He charged members of the task team to work independently, identify vulnerabilities and recommend practical safeguards capable of producing lasting institutional reforms.
Also speaking, the ICPC chairman, 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.
He said the partnership would strengthen transparency and preventive oversight in the management of health-sector resources, particularly the BHCPF.
According to him, funds allocated to primary healthcare must reach the facilities and beneficiaries for whom they were intended and be utilised transparently and in accordance with due process.
Aliyu identified prevention as one of the ICPC’s key mandates, particularly through identifying weaknesses in government processes that could create opportunities for corruption.
He stressed that corruption in the health sector should not be assessed solely through financial losses or accounting irregularities, as its wider consequences could be reflected in maternal and infant mortality, immunisation rates, deaths from preventable diseases and access to affordable healthcare.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said effective management of health resources remained critical to achieving improved health outcomes.
Kachollom said the ministry’s mandate was to save lives, reduce the physical and financial burden of ill health and improve access to healthcare, making the partnership with the ICPC both timely and necessary.
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.
The team, she said, would have its secretariat at the BHCPF Secretariat and conduct assessments after each quarterly disbursement of the fund.
She explained that the arrangement was designed to be embedded in the ministry’s existing operations rather than function as a separate structure.
The co-chairmen of the task team, Dr Abisola Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services, and Shehu Gambo, Assistant Director, Financial Investigation, ICPC, pledged to execute the assignment transparently and diligently.
The Joint Task Team is expected to develop practical measures to strengthen accountability, close loopholes, improve oversight and ensure value for money in the management and delivery of healthcare resources across the country.
