By Toyin Hakeem, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has raised fresh concerns over corruption vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s health and education sectors, urging key public institutions to accelerate reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and service delivery.
The call came in Abuja during the public presentation of the Follow-up System Review Report on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Follow-up Corruption Risk Assessment Report on the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Follow-up Corruption Risk Assessment Report on the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and selected State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), said the reviews assessed the level of implementation of recommendations from previous system studies and corruption risk assessments. While acknowledging progress by the affected institutions, he noted that critical governance gaps remain and require sustained attention.
According to Aliyu, the Commission’s preventive mandate focuses on identifying systemic weaknesses before they develop into corrupt practices. He maintained that transparent systems, effective oversight, strong internal controls and institutional accountability remain the most effective safeguards against corruption.
He described the NHIA, NPHCDA and UBEC as strategic public institutions whose performance directly affects access to quality healthcare and education for millions of Nigerians, stressing that strengthening integrity within the agencies would improve service delivery and boost public confidence in government.
Also speaking, Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Dr. Eze Onyekpere, said the follow-up reviews were conducted in partnership with the ICPC under the European Union-supported Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme to evaluate compliance with earlier anti-corruption recommendations.
Onyekpere identified persistent corruption risks, including procurement irregularities, leakages in health insurance payments, diversion of medical supplies, abandoned school projects and weak oversight mechanisms. He called for stronger inter-agency collaboration, continuous monitoring, peer review mechanisms and wider deployment of digital technology to improve transparency and accountability.
Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, commended the ICPC’s preventive approach to tackling corruption, describing system reviews as a practical strategy for building stronger institutions and improving governance across the public sector.
The ICPC reaffirmed its commitment to working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, development partners and civil society organisations to ensure that the recommendations contained in the reports are fully implemented and sustained.
Stakeholders at the event agreed that the findings should serve as a renewed call to strengthen accountability across the health and education sectors. The Commission maintained that sustained reforms, effective oversight and stronger institutional systems are essential to ensuring that public resources deliver better healthcare, quality education and improved public confidence in government.