CSJ Demands Stronger Institutional Reforms to Block Corruption in Health, Education Sectors

CSJ Demands Stronger Institutional Reforms to Block Corruption in Health, Education Sectors

By   Emmanuel Iyoho 

Dignitaries and stakeholders in a group photograph during the books Presentation of the follow up corruption risk assessment on the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, follow up corruption risk assessment on the system review on the National Health Insurance Authority and follow up corruption risk assessment on the Universal Basic Education Commission reports held at the Reiz Continental Hotel Abuja recently.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has called for stronger institutional collaboration, continuous monitoring and sustained multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure that anti-corruption reforms translate into concrete improvements in Nigeria’s health and education sectors.

The Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, made the call recently in Abuja at the public presentation of three follow-up Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) and System Review Reports covering the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Onyekpere said the exercise, undertaken in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with support from the European Union-backed Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme, was aimed at strengthening anti-corruption processes and reforms in critical public institutions.

He said the three institutions were strategically important to the realisation of Nigerians’ rights to healthcare and education, stressing that effective governance in the agencies was essential to sustainable national development.

According to him, the broader objective of the collaboration was to improve the effectiveness of anti-corruption laws, policies, interventions and strategies at national and sub-national levels, with the expectation of achieving greater compliance, systemic change and behavioural transformation.

Onyekpere stressed that anti-corruption laws and policies should not be viewed as ends in themselves, but as instruments for achieving lasting institutional and societal change.

He noted that Nigeria’s commitment to fighting corruption was reinforced by constitutional provisions and international obligations, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

The CSJ director, however, warned that such commitments could only produce meaningful results through sustained engagement involving both state and non-state actors.

“Laws, policies and standards do not implement themselves. They require the action of institutions through human beings,” he said.

Highlighting key lessons from the reviews, Onyekpere called for improved dissemination of findings and recommendations through regular briefings and engagements with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for implementation.

He advocated stronger inter-agency collaboration, particularly among anti-corruption agencies and other relevant government institutions, noting that some recommendations required coordinated action beyond the direct control of the agencies assessed.

The CSJ boss further called for multi-stakeholder forums involving anti-corruption agencies, MDAs, the media, civil society organisations and development partners to drive and institutionalise reforms arising from system reviews and corruption risk assessments.

He also urged public institutions to embrace peer learning and continuous dialogue, stressing the need for MDAs to benchmark their operations against institutions regarded as best in class.

Supporting the call for systemic reforms, Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), said the exercise reflected the Commission’s increasing emphasis on preventing corruption by strengthening institutional systems rather than relying solely on prosecution.

Aliyu said the ICPC’s mandate empowered it to identify vulnerabilities within public institutions and recommend reforms capable of preventing corruption before it occurs.

He explained that the follow-up assessments were designed to determine the extent to which recommendations from previous reviews had been implemented, identify areas of progress, expose unresolved weaknesses and propose additional reforms.

He said the true value of system studies and corruption risk assessments was not in the production of reports but in the implementation of their recommendations.

According to him, their impact should ultimately be measured by improvements in governance, accountability, transparency, operational efficiency and service delivery.

Aliyu stressed that the assessments were not intended to apportion blame but to promote continuous institutional improvement and strengthen accountability across government.

He said NHIA, NPHCDA and UBEC were selected because of their strategic roles in providing essential healthcare and education services to millions of Nigerians.

While acknowledging progress made by the agencies in implementing some previous recommendations, the ICPC chairman said significant reforms remained outstanding and urged their managements to sustain the momentum by implementing all 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 readiness to collaborate with 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 RoLAC II Programme and CSJ in the review process.

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

Olaopa commended the ICPC for prioritising system reviews and integrity plans, noting that transparent governance structures remained a strong defence against corruption.

He urged public institutions to embrace technology-driven governance, transparent recruitment processes, conflict-of-interest declarations and stronger internal audit systems.

The FCSC chairman also challenged government agencies to move beyond mere compliance with regulations and institutionalise continuous reforms that would promote prudent management of public resources.

The event featured the presentation of three reports: the Report of the System Review on the National Health Insurance Authority, the Report of the Follow-up Corruption Risk Assessment on the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and the Report of the Follow-up Corruption Risk Assessment on the Universal Basic Education Commission.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening ongoing anti-corruption reforms and ensuring that recommendations from previous assessments translate into measurable institutional improvements.

The stakeholders emphasised that the fight against corruption requires sustained engagement rather than one-off interventions, with effective monitoring, collaboration, transparency and accountability necessary to ensure that reforms are implemented and institutionalised.