–ICPC member

In its bid to enforce preventive controls and protect investments in Nigeria’s health sector, the Federal Government has inaugurated a Joint Task Team comprising staff of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to Ado Bako
Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, of the Health ministry in a press release on Monday, 17th August, 2026, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate said the initiative is a deliberate shift from the old practice of responding to wrongdoing after it had occurred to one of identifying vulnerabilities early, closing loopholes and strengthening systems before public resources are lost. The statement said:

“Every naira invested in our health system carries an obligation: to reach the facility, the health worker, and the Nigerian whose life depends on it. When those resources are diverted, the cost is not abstract. It is a medicine that never arrives, equipment that is unavailable when needed, or a service that falls short. In this sector, corruption can cost lives.”

Prof. Pate sees the Joint Task Team as “an instrument for institutional change”, whose mandate is centred on identifying institutional vulnerabilities, strengthening preventive controls and improving oversight across the health sector.

Under BHCPF 2.0, the Federal Government has deployed 774 Performance and Financial Management Officers, one to every Local Government Area, to independently verify the receipt and utilisation of funds. Verified National Identification Numbers are also being used to strengthen beneficiary authentication and reduce duplication, while digitalisation is improving transparency and traceability.

The Task Team builds on the Federal Government’s Red Letter of October 2025, which called on communities and ward health committees to track whether BHCPF funds reach their facilities. The Joint Task Team now adds structured institutional oversight to that citizen vigilance.

The Joint Task Team will conduct assessments following each quarterly disbursement of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, with the BHCPF Secretariat serving as its Secretariat. The Team is co-chaired by the Director of Hospital Services, representing the Ministry, and a Director of the ICPC, with membership drawn from relevant supervising offices and departments. The Memorandum of Understanding runs for two years, subject to renewal.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said protecting health-sector resources is fundamental to the Ministry’s mandate to save lives, reduce the physical and financial pain of ill-health, and produce health for all Nigerians. In her words:

“This is a Team designed to be embedded in how the Ministry already works, not to sit outside it.”

The Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, represented by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Clifford Oparaodu, said the partnership strengthens preventive oversight of health-sector resources, particularly the BHCPF.

“Corruption in the health sector is not measured only in financial losses or accounting irregularities. The losses are measured in maternal and infant mortality rates, rates of immunisation, mortality from preventable diseases, easy and affordable access to medical care at all levels.”

The Coordinating Minister, alongside the Chairman of the ICPC, formally inaugurated the Joint Task Team.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern over U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s executive order on vaccines.

In a statement on Wednesday by the Secretary-General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus underscored the critical role of vaccination for public health.

WHO, also on Wednesday, upheld the safety of childhood vaccines in response to a new directive from the White House to overhaul the recommended inoculation schedule.

He also acknowledged that “every parent wants to keep their children safe, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that, making deadly diseases preventable.”

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that calls for reducing the number of routine childhood immunisation  from diseases 18 to 11.

The administration’s Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations also advocate for separating the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three single-disease shots that would be administered during separate medical appointments.

The policy also aims to improve vaccine research and to maximise parental choice over which shots their children receive.

This is to ensure state compliance with constitutional and federal statutory obligations regarding parental authority, religious freedom, accommodations for those with disabilities and equal protection under the law.

Tedros said WHO was concerned that the changes “are not aligned with decades of evidence” on when best to immunise children, how many doses are needed, and which vaccines can be administered together safely.

This evidence is also reviewed continuously as new data emerge from across the world.

“The current evidence is unequivocal: vaccines – including the MMR vaccine – are safe and do not cause autism,” he said.

Moreover, “delaying vaccines or separating doses unnecessarily does not make vaccination safer and can leave children unprotected.” he added.

Tedros said “global evidence and recommendations, including from WHO” inform national experts to determine which vaccines and schedules are best for their country.

He stressed that “vaccination policy should be guided by rigorous, independent and transparent review of the best available science, not by political influence.”

The Federal Government has commenced the development of Nigeria’s first National Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Strategic Plan aimed at strengthening disability-inclusive healthcare and expanding access to rehabilitation services nationwide.

The initiative was unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja during a three-day stakeholders’ zero draft meeting on the proposed national rehabilitation and assistive technology strategic plan.

Speaking at the event, Dr Ahmed Ozi, Director of the Family Health Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, described the exercise as Nigeria’s first coordinated effort on rehabilitation services.

He said the initiative would establish a national framework for rehabilitation and assistive technology in the country.

Ozi said the strategic plan reflected the ministry’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage by ensuring that persons with disabilities had equitable access to healthcare services.

He said that the initiative aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on rehabilitation and disability-inclusive healthcare.

According to him, the strategic plan will serve as a roadmap for strengthening rehabilitation services and expanding access to assistive technology across the country.

“Disability can affect anyone at any stage of life. We must therefore promote empathy, protection and support for all citizens requiring rehabilitation services,” he said.

Ozi added that the strategy would guide rehabilitation programmes and strengthen disability-inclusive health policies nationwide.

He acknowledged that the document remained a zero draft and expressed confidence that stakeholders’ contributions would improve its quality and implementation potential.

The director urged participants to provide technical expertise and recommendations to ensure the development of a comprehensive and practical national strategy.

Also speaking, Head of the Georgia Society for Healthcare Engineers (GASHE), Dr Umeh Sunday, said work on the national rehabilitation strategic plan began following the establishment of a Rehabilitation Technical Working Group by the ministry.

Sunday explained that Nigeria previously lacked a federal rehabilitation policy, leaving states without a coordinated national framework for rehabilitation services.

He said the proposed strategy aligned with the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 initiative and the World Health Assembly Rehabilitation Strategy 2025–2035.

According to him, rehabilitation is an essential component of healthcare and should commence whenever patients require such services rather than after complications arise.

Sunday said that the Technical Working Group conducted nationwide situational assessments using WHO guidelines before drafting the strategy.

“Preliminary drafts have been prepared and are undergoing stakeholder review to reflect Nigeria’s rehabilitation priorities and healthcare realities,” he said.

He added that the workshop would further refine the document before endorsement, official inauguration and nationwide implementation.

Sunday urged stakeholders to make meaningful contributions that would strengthen rehabilitation services and improve outcomes for Nigerians requiring such care.

The Regional Rehabilitation Consultant for Africa, Dr Nassib Tawa, said the development of the strategic plan followed nearly two years of preparation and consultations.

Tawa said the strategy was informed by findings from a national situational assessment of rehabilitation services across Nigeria.

“The assessment identified major challenges, including the absence of a national rehabilitation policy and inadequate financing.

“It also revealed infrastructure deficits, limited clinical spaces and shortages of trained rehabilitation professionals nationwide,” he said.

According to Tawa, one in five Nigerians could benefit from rehabilitation services or assistive products.

He said the government would prioritise realistic and achievable interventions within the proposed five-year implementation period.

Tawa explained that the strategic plan would run from 2027 to 2031 and outline national priorities, objectives, vision, mission and implementation targets.

“Five technical task teams will review key workstreams before consolidating recommendations into the final draft.

“The strategy will promote a shared national understanding of quality rehabilitation benefiting every Nigerian requiring such services,” he said.

He added that the plan would strengthen partnerships, improve coordination and expand financing, infrastructure, workforce development and access to assistive technology across the country