ICPC Pushes Fresh Anti-Corruption Reforms in Health, Education, Warns Against Weak Governance

By: Michael Mike

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has intensified its preventive anti-corruption campaign, unveiling three follow-up assessment reports that expose lingering governance gaps in Nigeria’s health and education sectors while urging sweeping institutional reforms to strengthen accountability and service delivery.

The reports, presented in Abuja on Monday, reviewed the implementation of earlier anti-corruption recommendations issued to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and selected State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).

Speaking at the presentation, ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), said the exercise underscored the Commission’s growing emphasis on preventing corruption by strengthening institutional systems rather than relying solely on prosecutions.

Aliyu explained that the Commission’s mandate under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act empowers it to identify vulnerabilities within public institutions and recommend reforms capable of preventing corruption before it occurs.

He said the follow-up assessments measured the extent to which previous recommendations had been implemented, identified areas of progress, highlighted unresolved weaknesses and proposed further reforms to improve institutional performance.

“The value of system studies and corruption risk assessments lies not merely in producing reports but in implementing their recommendations. Their true impact is measured by improvements in governance, accountability, transparency, operational efficiency and service delivery,” he said.

According to him, the reviews were not designed to apportion blame but to encourage continuous institutional improvement and reinforce accountability across government agencies.

Aliyu noted that the NHIA, NPHCDA and UBEC were selected because of their strategic roles in delivering essential healthcare and education services to millions of Nigerians, stressing that stronger governance in the agencies would help safeguard public funds, improve service delivery and restore public confidence in government institutions.

While acknowledging that the institutions had implemented several recommendations from previous assessments, he maintained that significant reforms were still required.

He commended the leadership of the agencies for the progress recorded and urged them to sustain the reform momentum by implementing outstanding recommendations.

“The fight against corruption cannot be won through enforcement alone. Sustainable success depends on building resilient institutions with transparent systems, robust internal controls, effective oversight mechanisms and a culture of accountability,” Aliyu said.

He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to collaborating with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), oversight institutions, development partners and civil society organisations to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the recommendations.

Aliyu also acknowledged the support of the European Union-backed Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which partnered with the Commission on the review process.

Earlier, the Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, warned that corruption risk assessments would have little impact unless their recommendations translated into measurable institutional reforms.

He explained that the reviews formed part of the European Union-supported Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme II aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s anti-corruption processes at both national and sub-national levels.

Onyekpere identified persistent corruption risks across the health and education sectors, including leakages in health insurance payments, diversion of medicines and vaccines, ghost workers in primary healthcare facilities, fraudulent enrolment practices, procurement irregularities, abandoned school projects and weak oversight of public funds.

He described corruption risk assessments as critical diagnostic tools that enable governments to detect and address systemic weaknesses before they undermine public service delivery.

“Our collective responsibility is to ensure that NHIA resources provide quality healthcare to beneficiaries, that medicines and vaccines reach intended patients, and that UBEC funds translate into better classrooms, improved learning outcomes and a brighter future for Nigerian children,” he said.

Onyekpere advocated wider deployment of digital governance systems, including integrated platforms that would allow citizens to monitor health insurance enrolment, primary healthcare services and education projects in real time.

He also recommended the institutionalisation of end-to-end electronic procurement, stronger whistleblower protection, improved staff welfare and capacity building, enhanced independent oversight mechanisms and greater deployment of technology to reduce human discretion in public administration.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, said corruption prevention through institutional reforms offers a more sustainable solution than relying exclusively on law enforcement.

He commended the ICPC for prioritising system reviews and integrity plans, noting that transparent governance structures remain the strongest defence against corruption.

Olaopa urged public institutions to embrace technology-driven governance, transparent recruitment, conflict-of-interest declarations, stronger internal audit systems and ethical leadership, while challenging government agencies to move beyond mere compliance and institutionalise continuous reforms that promote prudent management of public resources.

The latest ICPC reports come amid increasing calls for public sector reforms as concerns grow over leakages, inefficiency and weak accountability in critical sectors responsible for healthcare and education delivery across the country.

ICPC Pushes Fresh Anti-Corruption Reforms in Health, Education, Warns Against Weak Governance