The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has officially entered into a significant, multi-year agreement with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to reinforce accountability throughout the health sector.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, publicized this development on Sunday, the 16th of November, 2025, via X (formerly Twitter). He clarified that the cornerstone of the new collaboration is the comprehensive monitoring, tracking, and auditing of all funds dedicated to the nationwide restoration of health infrastructure across every local government area (LGA).
This partnership directly supports the Federal Government’s massive undertaking to rehabilitate and upgrade Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria. The initiative is a key component of wider systemic reforms designed to enhance service delivery and guarantee the transparent and effective use of public funds allocated to health infrastructure.
Under the terms of the agreement, the ICPC is tasked with providing real-time, stage-by-stage monitoring of revitalization projects connected to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).
Prof. Pate shared the details, saying: “I am pleased to inform Nigerians that our ministry and its parastatals have entered into a multi-year pact with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to monitor, track, and audit expenditures involved in the nationwide overhaul of health infrastructure across all local government areas of the federation.
“More specifically, the ICPC is mandated to report on the status of projects identified by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) as a prerequisite for final certification of project completion. In real time, the ICPC will provide stage-by-stage monitoring of primary healthcare revitalisation projects across all implementing states and local government areas to ensure value for money,” he stated.
Beyond the ICPC engagement, the Health Ministry is introducing community-level oversight to bolster the anti-corruption efforts.
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This focus led the ministry to deploy a large team of financial management personnel across the country. The Minister confirmed, “This recognition led to the recruitment and deployment of hundreds of Performance and Financial Management Officers (PFMOs) across all local government areas to continuously assess primary health centre rehabilitation and operational performance.”
This strategy is further complemented by the “National Health Fellows” program, which was commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Prof. Pate highlighted the synergy:
“This initiative complements President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commissioning of the National Health Fellows 774 young leaders from every local government area selected through a rigorous process and prepared to sustain the new anti-corruption procedures aligned with their technical and administrative responsibilities.
Concluding his announcement, the Minister emphasized the significance of this move for national reform, affirming, “This is our time to reclaim the nation we love, to reject what has held us back, and to affirm a new social contract grounded in integrity, renewed trust, and renewed hope,” the minister added.