News
ICPC Poised To Tackle Corruption In Health Sector -Chairman
The Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, says the commission is poised to address corruption and corrupt practices in the health sector.
Aliyu said this yesterday in Abuja, at a conference with the theme: “corruption-free health care delivery for all”.
The chairman said that the commission was putting in place measures to ensure corruption-free primary healthcare delivery in the country.
He said that the commission had put in place the conference, which was part of the efforts being made to enlist and foster public support in combating corruption in the nation.
According to him, the conference is specifically organised to stimulate discussions that will help improve service delivery devoid of windows for corrupt tendencies in the Health Sector.
“This has become necessary considering the sector’s critical nature and its role in ensuring a healthy society at all levels.
“The Commission’s choice of Primary Health Care in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the pilot for the nationwide conversation is to create a comprehensive template that can be replicated in all the six-geopolitical zones of the federation.
“Participants were carefully drawn from community healthcare stakeholders to have a holistic and collaborative approach to improving the effectiveness of primary healthcare service delivery,” he said.
He said that the conference targeted entrenching professionalism, ethics, integrity, and other anti-corruption values to engineering a more effective and corruption-free primary healthcare delivery, leveraging the commission’s preventive mandates and strategies.
“Additionally, the conference targets anti-corruption awareness on how to ensure transparency and accountability in the healthcare delivery system, including diminishing tendencies for corrupt practices on both the side of healthcare providers and persons using healthcare facilities,” he said
Rep. Kayode Akiolu, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, in his goodwill message pledged the National Assembly’s support to fight corruption in the country.
Akiolu said that the House of Representatives would use the legislative instruments at its disposal to aid the fight against corruption, especially in the health sector.
“The Nigerian health sector is in the middle of a crisis.
“From doctors and other medical professionals leaving the country in droves, to insufficiency of medical equipment, poor working conditions and endemic corruption, the challenges are legion.
“There is thus the need to tackle these issues, and one of the most critical is corruption in the primary healthcare subsector.
“I feel confident that if corruption is reined in that subsector, the impact will be felt in the health sector as a whole in terms of improved working conditions for medical professionals, better service delivery and improvement in the health of citizens.
“These, in turn, will slow down the ‘Japa’ syndrome and medical tourism which will greatly benefit the nation’s economy.”
Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services And Environment, FCTA, in a keynote address noted with concern that corruption had hampered and continued to bedevil the Primary Health Care (PHC) service delivery in Nigeria.
“The opportunity cost of financial corruption in health is inestimable. What is the cost of a life? Therefore, in health, corruption must either be prevented or nipped in the bud at infancy.
“A cancerous like corruption is worse than a pandemic – procurement of substandard equipment, fake drugs, revenue leakages, and inflated health bills are some of the immediate results of corruption,” she said.
While calling for a holistic approach in tackling the menace across the country, she called for the adoption of a public health approach to making the PHC system corruption-free.
According to her, rather than detecting the corruption after it has been committed, audit and petition style, it must be prevented.
“And, if it occurs, it must be detected as `Outbreak Control’ as soon as possible through the use of sensitive tools and surveillance.”
She expressed concern that corruption thrived in weak systems with non-strategic and comprehensive processes.
She, therefore, identified blocks of the health system that must be strengthened to achieve a health service delivery system that would serve the people as envisaged and planned.
“The Governance and Leadership building block is very key to engendering the corruption-free Primary Health Care delivery for all.
“Honest and competent leadership at key positions in the PHC and Health system will clean the Augean stable. This can only be achieved if competent, transparent and proven professionals are in place to manage the PHC system.
“Therefore, policies and laws must be in place to ensure that filling of these managerial positions are merit based, and continued occupation of these offices is based on performance.”
Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in a goodwill message, said that PHC was a people-centered and whole-of-society approach to health care delivery.
Aina was represented by Dr Oritseweyimi Ogbe, Director Special Duties NPHCDA
“It is therefore the great pillar that holds a nation’s health system and the platform to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Consequently, the dysfunctional effect of corruption in the health sector is often most devastating at the PHC level.
“These acts are often in the form of bribes to provide services, extortion, patient discrimination or outright misuse of funds meant for health care delivery among other vices.
“The cumulative effects of these corrupt practices include distrust of government by individuals and communities.
“Others are poor uptake of services infrastructural decay, and a vicious cycle of impoverishment of the most vulnerable members of the society, with the resultant poor health outcomes,” he said
The Organised Labour yesterday, called on the Federal Government to ensure inclusiveness in policy making and guide against erosion of rights, such as free speech and association.
The President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero made the call at the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration held at the Eagle’s Square, Abuja.
The Tide source reports Ajaero and the President, Trade Union Congress, Mr Festus Osifo delivered a joint statement on behalf of the organised labour at the event.
Ajaero described May Day as, not only a moment to honour workers’ sacrifices, but also a platform to demand justice and accountability from those in public office.
He frowned at the alleged suppression of protests, and the erosion of rights of workers by some agents
According to him, workers have a duty to resist economic injustice, insecurity, and policies that undermine their dignity.
Speaking on the theme of the day, the NLC President underscored the need for Nigerian workers to reclaim the civic space and resist policies that contribute to worsening economic conditions.
“Our theme this year – “Reclaiming the Civic Space in the midst of Economic Hardship – reflects the urgent need for citizens to protect democracy and push back against repression.
“The civic space, where Nigerians express their concerns and challenge injustices is shrinking.
“If we fail to reclaim this space, the foundation of our democracy risks collapse,” he said
Ajaero, therefore, urged workers to unite and resist division, fear, and despair.
He also urged them to mobilise and organise for change, declaring that the right to demand better conditions is non-negotiable.
“Without workers, there is no society; without labour, there is no development. We must take our place in the fight for economic justice and democratic governance.”
Speaking in the same veins, Osifo said workers are the backbone of the nation—the educators, healthcare providers, builders, farmers, and innovators who sustain its economy -.
He stressed the need for the labour to reclaim the civic space even in the midst of economic hardship.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disassociated itself from a fraudulent site requesting payments from candidates who missed the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The board said that the site, “Copyrightwriter Personal J Rescheduling Flw” and account number 8520641017 at Sterling Bank, associated with it, are scam.
The disclaimer is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday by the Board’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin.
Benjamin said the account is being exploited to defraud unsuspecting candidates who missed their UTME.
“We issue this urgent notice to inform the public about this nefarious scheme targeting candidates who were unable to participate in the UTME.
“Some unscrupulous individuals are deceitfully soliciting payments of N15,700 under the false pretence of offering rescheduling services for the examination.
“Let us be unequivocal: this, it is a blatant scam, and we are confident that the public will not fall prey to such cheap and regressive tactics.
” The individuals behind this scam have no affiliation with JAMB or any legitimate government agency.
“The account details provided in these communications are entirely fictitious and bear no connection to any official processes; they exist solely for the purpose of perpetrating fraud,” he said.
Benjamin called on Sterling bank to take immediate and decisive action against this criminal activity.
According to him, JAMB has reported the matter to the relevant security agencies and actively pursuing those responsible for this deceitful act.
He further said that “JAMB does not reschedule examinations for candidates who miss their scheduled tests due to reasons unrelated to the Board’s actions”.
He, however, said that the Board is conducting a thorough investigation for candidates whose biometrics failed during verification and were thus unable to sit for the examination.
He said those without discrepancies would be invited to retake the examination at no cost , stressing that “no cost is required”
“It is imperative to understand that JAMB does not charge any fees for examinations after a candidate has completed their registration.
“We strongly urge all candidates to remain vigilant and not to succumb to these fraudulent schemes.
“Protect yourselves and report any suspicious activity immediately,” he explained.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has expressed its willingness to partner with the United Nations (UN) to accelerate the development of the Niger Delta region.
Dr Samual Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, made the appeal in a statement issued by the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt on yesterday.
According to the statement, Ogbuku sought the UN’s support during his visit to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (UNRHC), Mr Mohammed Fall, at the UN regional office in Abuja.
He called on the global body to provide the NDDC with technical assistance and expert services to support the region’s development.
“We are eager to collaborate with the UN, recognising that the state governments in the region and the NDDC alone cannot achieve the level of regional development required,” he said.
Ogbuku identified key areas where support would be needed, including the provision of portable and affordable drinking water powered by high-tech solar energy sources.
He also highlighted the importance of reforesting the mangrove swamps, which have been severely damaged by decades of environmental degradation caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta.
“Although the NDDC has made progress in providing solar-powered streetlights across the region, we still require UN support in delivering solar energy solutions for residential buildings.
“We also wish to explore the possibility of installing solar mini-grids in homes across communities, which would boost local commerce and trade,” he added.
The NDDC managing director further appealed for increased UN involvement in areas such as healthcare, education, youth training, gender development, and food security.
Ogunku stated that such interventions would significantly enhance the standard of living in the region.
In response, Fall affirmed the UN’s readiness to collaborate with the NDDC to fast track development in the Niger Delta.
He assured that the UN would support initiatives in food security, job creation, education, and renewable energy, among other areas.
“We aim to approach development in the Niger Delta holistically, rather than focusing solely on environmental pollution.
“This is merely an entry point; however, the UN’s development vision aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are designed to positively impact various aspects of people’s lives,” Fall stated.
He assured the NDDC of continued and fruitful engagements to drive the region’s development.