Panel report: 31 Days after, FG yet to act on suspended NHIS boss

*Panel faults his dubious payment of N919m

• Directs refund of N508.36m paid to consultants

• Wants EFCC to probe Yusuf over diversion of public funds

Francesca Iwambe, Abuja

Thirty-one days after the Administrative Investigative Committee over allegations of mal-administration and financial irregularities against the suspended Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, submitted its report, Pesident Muhammadu Buhari is yet act on the recommendations.

In a 100-page report submitted on August 28 and sighted by our correspondent on Thursday, the probe panel insisted that the activities of Yusuf should be properly investigated while the suspended NHIS boss and other errant officials should be punished to forestall future recurrence.

The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, had set up the panel to probe Yusuf and other activities at the NHIS while the panel report was submitted to the Presidency 31 days ago.

The probe panel, while describing Yusuf as a public servant who “portrayed a holier-than-thou attitude but in the background, milked the agency dry” connived with others to perpetrate N919million fraud saying that the said N919m was dubiously given as payment to consultants for staff training.

The committee said, as the head of the agency, Yusuf was personally responsible for all administrative, procurement and financial lapses.

It therefore asked the suspended NHIS boss and other staff who committed such infractions to refund N82m in travel allowances.

In its recommendation, the panel said, “The committee found that the total amount spent on the training was N919, 644, 800. The entire process and his actions involving all the foreign trips, engagement of training consultants and documentation of their payment processes amounting to N508, 036, 096 were devoid of due process.

“Therefore, the sum of N508, 036, 096 should be recovered from the training consultants by the NHIS.”

The panel further asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the activities of the suspended NHIS boss for diversion of public funds and contravention of the Procurement Act of 2007.

The report stated that Yusuf contravened the act through nepotism and other irregular awards of contracts and should be sanctioned in line with the provision of the act.

Explaining how the alleged staff training scam took place, the committee said in some instances, the number of trainees was far more than the entire number of employees at the agency, while in some other instances, some employees were registered for the same training in two different states at the same time.

It added that most of the consultants were said to have charged about N250,000 per participant.

The committee while analysing the number of staff that were trained from October to December 2016 said, there were a lot of discrepancies in the figure that was submitted by Yusuf.

Alleging manipulation of the figures, the committee stated in the report that after interacting with those whose names appeared more than once, it was discovered that some of the staff did not attend but that payment were made for both the course fee and staff allowance.

On the procurement of e-Library books and periodical and project vehicles, the committee submitted in the report that ” there was a provision of the sum of N31,500,000,00 for the procurement of e-Library books and periodicals and the sum of N35,198,109.00 for the procurement of project vehicle in 2016 NHIS capital appropriation.

“The sum of N49, 197, 750,00 spent on the purchase of the vehicles was in excess of the appropriated amount of N35,198,109.00 by the N13,999,641.00. This amount to unapproved virement. No evidence of tender receipt for the purchase of the bids.

The report reads in part: “The total number of staff at the NHIS is 1,360. But the total number of staff trained by the scheme based on analysis of payment vouchers on training was 1,992, while the figure submitted by the NHIS was 2,023 within three months (October-December 2016).

“The difference between the number of staff trained and the number of staff on the nominal roll was as a result of manipulation of names. It was discovered that some staff did not attend (training) but payments were made for both course fee and staff allowances.”

The panel alleged that some consultants were directed to remit part of their fees into a specified private account as kickbacks.

It stated for instance, GK Kanki Foundation was reportedly directed by the Assistant General Manager (Insurance) at the NHIS, Mr. Vincent Mamdam, to pay N2.8m into a Skye Bank account with number 1040569204 belonging to one Magaji Garba.

The probe panel comprised 13 members and it was chaired by the former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Binta Bello.

Other members of the panel include Dr. Wapada Balami, Dr. O.J Amedu (Secretary), Mr.J.A AbdulKareem (Co-secretary), Mr. Anthony Hassan, Mrs. I.A Elayo, Mr. Araoye Segilola, Evans Udoekanem, Alhaji H.M Keana, Mr. Gambo Mua’zu, Olayemi Sotomi, Mr. P.E Damian and Alhaji M.B Orire.