The federal government has declared zero tolerance for corruption in the health sector, warning that diversion of healthcare resources could cost lives and undermine efforts to improve services nationwide.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said this on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Joint Task Team of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Mr Pate said, “Let me be unequivocal: this Ministry will not tolerate corruption,” adding that effective systems should identify vulnerabilities early and close loopholes before resources were lost through misconduct or diversion.

He said that principle informed the establishment of the Joint Task Team between the ministry and ICPC, with prevention at the heart of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and its mandate.

“The team is expected to identify institutional vulnerabilities, strengthen preventive controls, improve oversight across the health sector while supporting transparent management and accountability nationwide and closing gaps before they worsen further.”

Mr Pate said the ministry was already applying the approach where significant public resources were being deployed, including BHCPF 2.0, where 774 officers, one per LGA, independently verify funds received and utilised.

He added that verified National Identification Numbers were being used to authenticate beneficiaries and reduce duplication, while tighter standards governed fund utilisation and violations attracted clear consequences across supported programmes nationwide.

“The ministry is also digitalising processes so resources can be tracked transparently from allocation to use, while the ICPC provides independent preventive oversight to identify weaknesses before they become failures institutionally.

“This responsibility does not rest with government alone.

“The effort also requires public servants, honest contractors, development partners and citizens willing to speak when something goes wrong promptly and openly.”

He also charged members of the team to approach the assignment with professionalism, independence, courage and diligence, while ensuring recommendations outlast the team and strengthen systems beyond its lifespan through sustained implementation.

Also speaking, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Daju Kachollom, described the partnership with ICPC as timely and important, saying the team would be embedded in existing ministry structures to ensure continuity.

She said the team would be co-chaired by the director of hospital services, representing the ministry, and an ICPC director, with members drawn from relevant supervising offices and departments as required.

Ms Kachollom said the team would report through the ministry’s established workflow structures and conduct assessments after each quarterly BHCPF disbursement, with the BHCPF Secretariat serving as its secretariat throughout the two-year MoU.

In his remarks, the chairman of the ICPC, Musa Aliyu, said the team gave practical expression to the MoU signed between the commission and ministry in October 2025.

Represented by the executive secretary, Clifford Oparaodu, Mr Aliyu said the agreement reflected a shared commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity, particularly in managing BHCPF resources across Nigeria’s health sector effectively.

He said the MoU must produce concrete outcomes, ensuring funds allocated for primary healthcare reached intended facilities and people, while ICPC identified process weaknesses and eliminated opportunities for corrupt practices nationwide.

Mr Aliyu described prevention as cheaper, less intrusive and more sustainable than reacting after corruption occurred, urging the team to undertake credible, evidence-based nationwide assessments of BHCPF flows and utilisation.

“Corruption in the health sector is not measured only in financial losses or accounting irregularities.”

The consequences, he emphasised, directly affect lives and healthcare access.

“The losses are measured in maternal and infant mortality rates, rates of immunisation, mortality from preventable diseases, easy and affordable access to medical care at all levels,” he said.

Mr Aliyu said integrity in healthcare meant medicines being available, functional equipment, working generators, present and paid health workers, and facilities capable of responding when citizens needed them most without delays or failures.

“Verify what you are told. Examine what has been delivered. Identify vulnerabilities, recommend practical remedies and follow through to ensure that corrective measures are implemented,” he said, urging nationwide consistency.

The MoU between the organisations was signed in October 2025 to strengthen collaboration and preventive oversight in managing health-sector resources, particularly BHCPF funds nationwide. 

(NAN)