Abuja, Nigeria – The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has renewed its campaign against corruption by unveiling three comprehensive follow-up assessment reports that reveal persistent governance weaknesses in Nigeria’s health and education sectors, while calling for urgent institutional reforms to improve transparency, accountability, and service delivery.
The reports, presented on Monday in Abuja, evaluate 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 during the presentation, ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), emphasized that the Commission is increasingly prioritizing corruption prevention by strengthening public institutions rather than relying solely on prosecutions.
According to Aliyu, the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act empowers the Commission to identify systemic vulnerabilities within government institutions and recommend reforms that prevent corruption before it occurs.
He explained that the follow-up assessments measured the level of compliance with previous recommendations, identified areas of progress, highlighted unresolved challenges, and proposed additional reforms aimed at improving institutional performance.
“The real value of system studies and corruption risk assessments lies not in producing reports but in implementing their recommendations. Their success is measured by stronger governance, greater accountability, enhanced transparency, improved operational efficiency, and better service delivery,” Aliyu stated.
He stressed that the exercise was not intended to assign blame but to encourage continuous institutional improvement and reinforce accountability across public agencies.
Aliyu noted that the NHIA, NPHCDA, and UBEC were selected because of their strategic roles in providing essential healthcare and education services to millions of Nigerians. He said strengthening governance within these institutions would help safeguard public resources, improve service delivery, and rebuild public trust.
While acknowledging that the agencies had implemented several recommendations from previous assessments, the ICPC Chairman maintained that more reforms are required to close existing governance gaps.
“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 strong culture of accountability,” he added.
He also reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to working closely with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), oversight institutions, development partners, and civil society organizations to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the recommendations.
Aliyu further appreciated 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 throughout the review process.
Earlier, the Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, cautioned that corruption risk assessments would achieve little unless their recommendations resulted in measurable institutional reforms.
He explained that the reviews form part of the European Union-supported Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme II, designed to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework at both national and sub-national levels.
Onyekpere identified several persistent corruption risks affecting 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.
Describing corruption risk assessments as vital diagnostic tools, he said they enable governments to identify and address systemic weaknesses before they undermine public service delivery.
“Our collective responsibility is to ensure that NHIA resources provide quality healthcare for beneficiaries, medicines and vaccines reach the right patients, and UBEC funds translate into better classrooms, improved learning outcomes, and a brighter future for Nigerian children,” Onyekpere said.
He called for wider adoption 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 institutionalization of end-to-end electronic procurement, stronger whistleblower protection, improved staff welfare and capacity building, enhanced independent oversight, and greater use of technology to minimize human discretion in public administration.
Also speaking at the event, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, said preventing corruption through institutional reforms offers a more sustainable solution than depending solely on law enforcement.
He commended the ICPC for prioritizing system reviews and integrity plans, describing transparent governance structures as the strongest defense against corruption.
Olaopa urged public institutions to embrace technology-driven governance, transparent recruitment processes, conflict-of-interest declarations, stronger internal audit systems, and ethical leadership. He also challenged government agencies to move beyond regulatory compliance and institutionalize reforms that promote prudent management of public resources.
The latest ICPC assessment reports come at a time of growing public demand for stronger reforms to address leakages, inefficiency, and weak accountability in Nigeria’s critical health and education sectors.
