TheCable

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has partnered with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to ensure transparency in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses across Nigeria.

Faisal Shuaib, executive director of NPHCDA, in a statement on Monday, said the collaboration is founded on ICPC’s mandate of prevention, enforcement, public education, and enlightenment in order to discourage corrupt practices in the deployment of the vaccine.

The agencies’ collaboration will also ensure that accountability is established and sustained throughout the four phases of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

“These measures are imperative, as any form of corruption in the COVID-19 vaccination effort of the federal government will inevitably undermine the response to the pandemic, deprive citizens of their rights to vaccination, and ultimately derail the goal of achieving herd immunity,” Shuaib said.

According to the NPHCDA, the ICPC’s monitoring efforts will cover critical areas of theft, embezzlement, service provision, advisory, and vaccine availability.

The NPHCDA assured Nigerians that all perpetrators of unlawful acts, such as extortion, and diversion of funds meant for the vaccination exercise, would be apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.

The agency advised the public to report acts of corruption connected to the vaccination exercise to the NPHCDA or ICPC.