Suspended NHIS boss dares Governing Council, resumes work

By Ihesiulo Grace

20 October 2018

News

…We stand by our decision – Council
Suspended Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has defied the directive of the Governing Council of the scheme, asking him to proceed on ‘indefinite’ suspension.

Yusuf was suspended by the governing council on Thursday, following his alleged involvement in fraud, insurbodination, criminal breach of Procurement Act, self-aggrandisement, and arbitrariness among other offences.

But the suspended NHIS boss was however driven into his office at the Jabi headquarters of the NHIS at about 10am on Friday. As at the time of filing this report in the evening of Friday, sources said he was still working in the office.

The Daily Times also gathered on Friday that the matter had been taken to the Federal Ministry of Health. Specifically, the Permanent Secretary, Abdullahi Mashi, was allegedly contacted by the ES over the suspension.

Mashi allegedly told him to interpret the NHIS law if the Governing Council has power to suspend him.

A source at the NHIS, who spoke in confidence, told the Daily Times last night that, “He was told to interpret the NHIS law, if the Governing Council has power to suspend him.

“Prof Yusuf has a lot of petitions against him from the public as noted by the Governing Council on Thursday before suspending him, which the Council said should be investigated by the administrative panel set up to probe him.

“As a civil servant, he cannot remain in office while he is being probed. He was given only three months to step aside. He should abide by that decision, except his hands are not clean.”

Incidentally, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, had suspended Yusuf in June 2018 over similar allegations while he was being probed over alleged N919 million fraud at the time.

But President Muhammadu Buhari reinstated him in February this year just as the presidential action attracted condemnations from Nigerians who saw his reinstatement as a huge dent on the President’s anti-corruption crusade.

Nothing was later heard of the probe after his reinstatement.

But there were insinuations on Friday that the Presidency might overrule the Governing Council as it did to the Health Minister.

Meanwhile, chairperson of the governing council, Dr. Enyantu Ifenne, told our correspondent on Friday in a text message that the council stood by its decision, insisted that should President Buhari receive just ‘a tenth’ of Yusuf’s alleged misdeeds, he would sack him immediately.

Ifenne stated this while reacting to allegation that the Presidency might overrule the council’s stand.

She said, “Let those who hide under cover of the Presidency to protect corruption know that Nigerians are keenly watching. I am convinced that if President Buhari is fully briefed about a tenth of Yusuf atrocities, he would throw him out! The truth, like health, has no colour, no tribe and no religion and no social class…The council stands by its decision.”

The Governing Council had on Thursday while addressing journalists, announced Yusuf’s suspension.

The NHIS Coucil chairperson had said: “The council has met. We have been inundated with petitions. We also observed some executive infractions that we cannot ignore, especially in administration that is committed to transparency and accountability like Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“So, with detailed examination or review of some of these documents, the council has made some landmark decisions. The first decision is that we have resolved to constitute and administrative panel of investigation immediately to examine the issues at stake.

“This administrative panel has three months to complete its assignment and report back to council to decide on way forward. Also, council resolved that executive-secretary, NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, is suspended indefinitely. The reason is to allow the panel unencumbered, unfettered space to do a thorough investigation”.