The ministry of health and social welfare has entered a multi-year pact with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

The agreement is designed to strengthen oversight in the health sector.

Under the pact, both institutions will monitor, track, and audit expenditures tied to the nationwide overhaul of health infrastructure projects, ensuring transparency, accountability, and better value for public investments.

The initiative spans all local government areas and aims to strengthen transparency, guarantee value for money, and ensure proper delivery of health projects critical to improving Nigeria’s primary healthcare system across diverse communities.

Announcing the development via a telecast on his X handle on Sunday, coordinating minister, Muhammad Pate, said the move aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and formed part of efforts to rebuild public trust.

He said the initiative was also intended to deepen accountability and reverse longstanding governance deficits across ministries, departments, and agencies connected to the health sector.

He emphasised that overcoming Nigeria’s development challenges necessitated public administrators at all levels to adopt transparency in managing public resources.

He added that the ministry had begun institutionalising preventive and corrective accountability mechanisms across its agencies, with emphasis on surveillance of health parastatals and fund 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 revitalisation projects.

“It will also introduce a new certification process for anti-corruption training and capacity-building initiatives targeting health sector personnel nationwide.”

Mr Pate noted that state and local governments would be integrated into strengthened accountability processes to ensure unified anti-corruption standards nationwide.

He added that the ministry was complementing those measures with a broader anti-corruption strategy, including deploying hundreds of Performance and Financial Management Officers across all local government areas to assess rehabilitation efforts in primary health centres.

Mr Pate said the National Health Fellows recruited from each local government would work alongside performance and financial management officers to sustain new accountability procedures and support the ministry’s ongoing reforms.

Strengthening those systems, he said, would improve health outcomes, boost donor confidence, and unlock greater multilateral support for key health interventions across the country

He described the reforms as part of a renewed national commitment to integrity, trust, and collective progress.

(NAN)