The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has entered into a multi-year agreement with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to strengthen oversight and accountability in the health sector.
The pact is aimed at monitoring, tracking and auditing expenditures linked to the nationwide overhaul of health infrastructure, ensuring transparency and better value for public investments.
The initiative, which spans all Local Government Areas, seeks to improve delivery of health projects critical to strengthening Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
Announcing the development in a telecast on his X handle on Sunday, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the agreement aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and forms part of efforts to rebuild public trust.
He said the initiative was designed to deepen accountability and address governance deficits across ministries, departments and agencies involved in the health sector.
Pate stressed that overcoming Nigeria’s development challenges required public officials at all levels to embrace transparency in the management of public resources.
He explained that the ministry had begun institutionalizing preventive and corrective accountability mechanisms across its agencies, with emphasis on monitoring health parastatals and financial pathways under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.
“Under the pact, the ICPC will report on the status of projects identified by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency for certification and provide real-time monitoring of primary healthcare revitalization projects.
“It will also introduce a new certification process for anti-corruption training and capacity-building initiatives targeting health sector personnel nationwide,” he said.
Pate added that state and local governments would be integrated into a strengthened accountability framework to ensure unified anti-corruption standards nationwide.
He noted that the ministry was complementing the measures with a broader anti-corruption strategy, including the deployment of hundreds of Performance and Financial Management Officers across all local government areas to assess rehabilitation efforts in primary healthcare centres.
The minister said National Health Fellows recruited from each local government would work alongside the officers to sustain the new accountability procedures and support the ministry’s ongoing reforms.
Pate added that strengthening these systems would improve health outcomes, boost donor confidence and attract greater multilateral support for key health interventions nationwide.
He described the reforms as part of a renewed national commitment to integrity, trust and collective progress.
