The Federal Government has inaugurated a Joint Task Team with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to strengthen accountability and track the utilisation of funds in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the ICPC aimed at preventing corruption and identifying vulnerabilities within the health sector.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the partnership was designed to ensure that funds invested in healthcare reach facilities, health workers and Nigerians who depend on the services.
Pate said the government was shifting from a reactive approach to corruption to a preventive system capable of identifying weaknesses early and closing loopholes before public resources are lost. He described the task team as an instrument for institutional change, particularly in monitoring the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
According to him, the government has deployed 774 performance and financial management officers under BHCPF 2.0, with one officer assigned to each local government area to independently verify how funds are received and utilised. Digital systems and accounting management software are also being introduced to track resources from allocation to utilisation.
The Minister urged communities, traditional and religious leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to report cases of fund diversion, closed health facilities or the sale of commodities meant to be provided free to beneficiaries.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom, said the task team would conduct assessments after each quarterly BHCPF disbursement. She explained that the team would be co-chaired by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr Abisoye Adegoke, and an ICPC representative, Mr Shehu Gambo, with members drawn from relevant departments and oversight units.
Kachollom said the two-year agreement would focus on preventing misuse of resources, strengthening institutional controls and ensuring that funds allocated to the health sector deliver measurable value to Nigerians.
Providing further details, the Secretary of the BHCPF oversight committee, Dr Uzoma Uwankwo, said the fund-tracking exercise would cover the national, state, local government and service-delivery levels.
He said the collaboration would involve information sharing, joint training, capacity building, advocacy, quarterly reviews and, where necessary, joint investigations.
The ICPC, represented by its Executive Secretary, Mr Clifford Oparaodu, said the partnership would strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in healthcare financing.
Oparaodu stressed that corruption in healthcare goes beyond financial losses, as its consequences can be seen in maternal and infant mortality, immunisation rates, preventable deaths and access to affordable healthcare.
He charged the task team to conduct credible, evidence-based assessments of BHCPF resources, verify claims, identify vulnerabilities and recommend practical solutions while ensuring that corrective measures are implemented.
Pate also disclosed that utilisation of primary healthcare services had risen from about 10 million in 2023 to more than 40 million per quarter in 2025–2026, attributing part of the improvement to better deployment of resources.
The Joint Task Team is expected to provide a continuous framework for tracking health-sector resources, strengthening preventive controls and ensuring that public investment in primary healthcare translates into improved services and better health outcomes for Nigerians.
