The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, who was suspended indefinitely by the governing council of the NHIS on Thursday, resumed work on Friday, ignoring the resolution of the council.
It was learnt that Yusuf resumed at the head office of the agency in Abuja around 10am to the surprise of members of staff.
In a memo with reference number NHIS/ES/091/1/192, signed by Yusuf and addressed to the chairman of the council, Dr Enyantu Ifenne, the Executive Secretary said only President Muhammadu Buhari could suspend him.
Citing sections 6, 7 and 8 of the NHIS Act, Yusuf said the council only had the powers to manage the scheme and other related activities, adding that he had not even been informed of the petitions written against him.
The memo read in part, “As you are aware, by virtue of Section 8 of the NHIS Act, my appointment, like yours, is at the instance of the President, while the council’s power of appointment is limited to directors and other employees of the scheme.
“It is, therefore, ultra vires or the council to suspend or purport to suspend me from office to the extent that the said suspension is the prerogative of Mr President.”
In her reaction, the chairman of the NHIS board acknowledged receipt of the memo on Friday.
Chairman of the NHIS board, Dr Enyantu Ifenne, however, expressed shock over Yusuf’s decision to defy the council.
She said, “Let those who hide under the 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’s atrocities, he will throw him out.”
At a briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Ifenne had accused Yusuf of insubordination, fraud, arbitrariness and other corrupt practices.
She had announced his indefinite suspension and appointed Sadiq Abubakar as the acting Executive Secretary.
Tag: NHIS
-
Fraud: Suspended NHIS boss resumes work, insists only Buhari can sack him
-
Just in: NHIS governing council suspends Executive Secretary ‘indefinitely’
The governing council of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has indefinitely suspended Usman Yusuf, the Executive Secretary of the scheme indefinitely.
“The chairperson of the NHIS governing council, Ifenne Enyanatu revealed the resolution of the council to journalists after a two-day closed door meeting at the Abuja head office of the scheme.” Premium Times report
The chairperson said the council resolved to suspend Mr Yusuf because it has been inundated with petitions and infractions against the official. Mrs Enyanatu said the council also resolved to set up an administrative panel to examine allegations leveled against Mr. Yusuf.
“The panel has three months to complete it’s assignment and report back to us”, she noted.
She said the reason for the suspension is to allow the panel an ‘infetted’ space to do a thorough investigation.
“We consulted and got the approval of the honorable Minister of Health before this suspension. ”
Mrs Enyanatu also announced that Mallam Sadiq Abubakar will now act as Executive Secretary in Mr Yusuf’s stead in the time being.
Mr Yusuf’s reign in the state run insurance scheme has been fraught with various allegations of corruption, infractions and highhandness.
The executive secretary was previously suspended by the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, in July 2017 over alleged gross misconduct and fraud.
The minister then set up a panel to investigate the allegations.
According to documents in possession of PREMIUM TIMES, the panel indicted Mr Yusuf on most of the allegations and recommended sanction, following which the minister forwarded the report to the presidency.
But in February, without informing the minister and against the recommendations of the probe panel, President Muhammadu Buhari reinstated the executive secretary into his office.
The reinstatement ignited an uproar, with a group of workers staging a protest at the agency against it.
Since his return in February, many other allegations of fraud has thrailed the controversial official with the staff and many management members of the scheme repeatedly calling for his sack. -
Missing N10bn: PDP reveals how Buhari, APC are using NHIS to loot treasury
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Thursday accused the President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC of turning “the National Health Insurance Scheme into their Automated Teller Machine where funds are taken at their conveniences.”
The party said the nation had yet to recover from past revelations of an alleged withdrawal of N10bn when an alleged fresh plot by the Federal Government to loot another N25bn from the coffers of the scheme was exposed.
It said that Nigerians were still lamenting the N10bn stolen earlier from the agency’s savings in the Treasury Single Account by the cabal in the presidency.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, alleged that the APC and the Presidency had been bleeding the nation, adding that the very idea of stealing funds meant to provide health lifeline to the already impoverished Nigerians was agonising and showed that the ruling party had lost all scruples.
He said, “Our nation is now faced with daily pillaging of our national patrimony by the APC interests and a notorious cabal, who operating under the cover and protection of the Buhari Presidency, have turned our revenue agencies, particularly the NHIS into cash cows to painfully milk funds for the APC’s ill-fated 2019 re-election bid.
“When we say that this Buhari administration is debauched, many do not realise to what extent. This administration is so brazen in stealing in the NHIS that the Presidency has to recall and reinstate the indicted Executive Secretary of the Scheme, Prof. Usman Yakubu, while he was still being quizzed by the EFCC for alleged corruption.
“Betraying its complicity in the NHIS racket, the Presidency has refused to speak out on allegations that it reinstated the suspended Executive Secretary to conceal the earlier looting and protect members of the cabal and has also refused to order any form of investigation into the exposed frauds.
“The magnitude of direct looting that is going on in revenue agencies, such as the NNPC, the Nigerian Ports Authority, Customs, Federal Inland Revenue Services, MDAs and even the TSA already infiltrated by the Presidency cabal and the APC interests, who hide under spurious investment portfolios, inflated concessions, allocations, jobs and other financial sleazes to siphon public funds are better imagined.”
Ologbondiyan said that in the last three years, the nation had witnessed unparalled impunity to the extent that the President could even unilaterally make approval of releases of public funds without recourse to the legislative instrument of appropriation.
But the board of the NHIS said it had begun a forensic audit of the accounts of the scheme including the alleged N10bn said to have been removed from the agency’s account which had become a subject of legislative probe.
A member of the governing council, Senator Bassey Otu, said this during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
Otu was responding to a question on whether N10bn was really missing from the NHIS account and if the board would investigate the matter among other allegations of misappropriation of funds.
The board was also asked to reveal how much was really missing from the NHIS’ coffers and if anyone would be punished for any act of malfeasance.
He said, “Forensic audit has been done and we have looked at all the issues. Definitely people will be called to answer questions, those that have to face some more uniformed people will have to do it and those who have to explain to Nigerians why things went that way will also have to do it.”
The board member further stated that the funds in the NHIS accounts did not belong to the government but the people.
He added that ideally, the NHIS should not be part of the Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government since the money did not belong to the government but the enrollees.
Otu said, “The NHIS is an insurance company. The funds should not be in the TSA in the first place. There have been a lot of issues talking about some amounts of money.
“The money is not enough because the government isn’t paying its full contributions and if you are talking about Universal Health Coverage which other countries are taking very seriously, then we cannot be playing with these matters.”
Recall that the NHIS had earlier clarified that no N10bn was missing but the money was transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Account and not the TSA thereby causing confusion at the Ministry of Finance.
-
KOWA faults Buhari’s reinstatement of NHIS boss, demands ‘immediate sack’
The National Executives of KOWA Party on Friday condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for reinstating Prof. Usman Yusuf as the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The party further demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari should do the needful by sacking the reinstated NHIS Executive Secretary immediately.
At a press conference in Lagos, the party criticised the federal government’s anti-corruption drive and accused its officials of nepotism.
“Our desire for an egalitarian society where all persons and people in Nigeria will be treated equally irrespective of colour, race, ethnic or religious affiliation have been completely eroded under this deceitful government of APC,” the party said.
“More clearly in the books of the cabal in the presidency is a special status accorded the people of the Northern zone especially Katsina state which has made them more Nigerian than any other state, tribe or geo political zone in the country, this maladministration which is ready to cripple the brotherliness and foundation of common unity of our pre and post-independence dream must not be allowed to fester than necessary.
“It is against this backdrop that we speak to Nigerians on the recall of the suspended executive secretary of the NHIS, Mr. Usman Yusuf back to office despite the baggage of allegations against his official conduct while he held sway as the boss of the agency.”
Recall that Yusuf was reinstated as the NHIS boss by President Buhari after his suspension from office last year by the Health Minister, Isaac Adewole, following allegations of gross misconduct.
On Thursday, NHIS workers staged a protest at the premises of the agency’s headquarters in Abuja after Mr. Yusuf reportedly returned to work.
The KOWA party stated that the revelations that led to Mr. Yusuf’s suspension last year were “too gruesome” to be ignored.
“At first on assumption of office, Yusuf engaged in a war of attrition with major stakeholders in the NHIS, with various groups alleging that his leadership of the agency has been faulty and designed to undermine the workings of the Scheme.
“The Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has accused the suspended NHIS boss of doctoring and altering the rules and regulations of the NHIS scheme in a bid to siphon public funds into private pockets through the use of unqualified consultants as insurers and mandated all HMOs to pay N7.2 million each into the company`s account.
“Yusuf’s thinly disguised arrogance surely bespeaks a mindset never seen in public service at that level in recent history.”
The party further stated that other officers suspended alongside Mr. Yusuf were not reinstated.
“In 2016, Femi Akingbade, the former acting executive secretary was suspended by this same government based on petitions received which till date was never investigated, and the man not indicted.
“When Yusuf was suspended, eight other senior officers of NHIS were suspended, till date, none of them have been recalled, yet the presidency asked Usman Yusuf to resume back to duites because he is a kinsman to PMB, this is an act of favouritism and nepotism.
“The eight suspended officers are Femi Akingbade – zonal GM, South South, Mr. John Okon – General Manger, Finance Account, Yusuf Fatika – General Manger, Human Resources and Administration, Shehu Adamu – Assistant General Manager, Audit, Mr. Vincent Mamdam – Assistant General Manager, Head Insurance, Mr. Safiyanu Attah – Senior Assistant Officer, Marketing, Owen Udo Udoma-Senior Manager, Contribution Management and Innocent Abbah- Senior Assistant Officer, Planning Research and Monitoring.
In line with the tenets set forth by the ideals of the country’s leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, on the principles fair play, transparency, rapid targeted development, acts devoid of corruption and elimination of all primordial sentiments, which hitherto had almost torn the seams of our national existence.
We thus bring to the attention of the government and general public the nepotistically inimical and criminally oriented acts currently being machinated and executed by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. Corruption is one of the burning issues in Nigeria; it cuts across various strata of governance.
According to the party, the NHIS was riddled with corruption during Yusuf’s tenure and the president ought to have constituted a new panel to investigate him if he was dissatisfied with the Health Minister’s recommendations.
“With immediate effect, we call for the immediate sack of the recalled NHIS Executive Secretary, Usman Yusuf and his immediate handover to the anti-corruption agencies with the sole aim of charging to court to recover all the looted funds traced to him and his cronies.”
-
Workers protest as suspended NHIS Executive Secretary resumes
There was protest at the headquarters of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as the newly reinstated Executive Secretary, Prof. Yusuf Usman resumed work on Thursday.
The workers under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the Joint Health Sector Union during protest demanded that Yusuf’s reinstatement be reversed while investigations on allegations levelled against him continue.
According to the workers, the reinstatement of Yusuf would impede his investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The protest began shortly after Yusuf resumed at the headquarters of the agency in Abuja.
Confirming the Executive Secretary’s resumption, Head, Media and Public Relations of NHIS, Ayo Osinlu said: “He has resumed work but has not held any management meeting.”
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday reinstated Yusuf exactly six months after he was suspended by the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, following allegations of gross misconduct.
Yusuf, 54, took over the state-run health insurance provider on July 29, 2016.
But his reign at the agency has been fraught with graft controversies.
Some staff described Yusuf’s leadership as causing disaffection and low morale in the system.
The chairman, association of senior civil servant NHIS chapter, Razaq Omomeji accused Executive Secretary of bringing someone born in 1984 to become an assistant director in the scheme.
Omomeji said Yusuf, a professor has poor knowledge on the management of the scheme.
Alowuyi Kayode, Chairman Medical and Health Association Union, also accused Yusuf of using divide and rule system to transfer staff indiscriminately.
“We believe that this government came to fight corruption. We also believe that whoever must come to equity must come with clean hands. Prof Yusuf’s reinstatement behoves much to be desired. Presently he is being investigated by the EFCC and ICPC, so we are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to wait for the report of this investigation to be concluded before any further action,” Kayode said.
“If the man is giving a clean slate then he can return but as is it now, all his activities for the past one year has been that of ethnicity, tribalism, religiosity and nepotism. Imaging him transferring over 40 per cent of the staff outside Abuja and replacing them with 300 NYSC members. It leaves much to be desired, so we are appealing to this government as a union of NHIS to reverse this recall while investigation with EFCC and ICPC continues,” he added.
There has been a rash of reactions from Nigerians since the news of Yusuf’s reinstatement broke.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, explained that Yusuf’s recall will not stop any corruption investigation by anti-graft agencies.
Though the presidency has not spoken official on the basis for his reinstatement, a source at the Presidential Villa said the suspended executive secretary was reinstated because the president believes the allegations against him are yet to be proven.
The source said the committee constituted by the minister to investigate Mr. Yusuf was neither independent nor free from bias.
“Barely one year into his assumption of office, Professor Usman was suspended by the Minister of health on the strength of a petition by the United Youth Alliance Against Corruption, UYAC and Association of Senior Civil Servants.
“The Minister, relying on the petition, constituted a 17-man committee under the headship of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry to look into the petition by this body of Civil servants. Out of the 17 members of the committee, 16 of them were staff of the Ministry while one member was from the Department of State Services (DSS). The request for a nomination from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) was declined because they feared a conflict of interest.
“From the composition of the committee, it was obvious that the committee was neither independent nor free from biases.
“Some of the allegations brought against the Executive Secretary by the UYAC could not be substantiated in 20 of the 23 allegations as no evidence was brought forward. “Others were obviously concocted as there were evident alterations and mix-ups in dates on some of the petitions,” the source said.
He said it is clear from the investigation that the presidency identified an acute lack of capacity in the NHIS as an organisation and unless a new set of competent managers are found and recruited, the objectives of setting up of the NHIS may remain a mirage.
“This is why the minister was directed to work with the Executive Secretary to redress some of the identified shortcomings within the organisations to avoid a breakdown of one of the federal government’s flagship programmes and truncate the intention of government to expand the scope of beneficiaries of health insurance scheme and indeed broaden government’s efforts in repositioning the health sector.”
-
Alleged N919 fraud: Buhari shuns health minister, reinstates suspended NHIS boss
President Muhammadu Buhari has recalled the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, who was suspended by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on July 6, 2017, has learnt.
In a letter with reference number, ‘SH/COS/10/6/A/29’, signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, the President informed the minister of Yusuf’s recall, adding that he (Yusuf) had been “admonished to work harmoniously with the minister.”
The letter, it was learnt, was sent to the minister on Tuesday evening. When our correspondent called the minister to confirm the new development, Adewole only said, “Yes, what you have heard is true.” He refused to answer any further inquiries about the issue.Sources at the federal Ministry of Health also confirmed Yusuf’s reinstatement. They did not, however, disclose when the NHIS boss would resume.
The letter made no mention of the probe Yusuf was facing at the EFCC.
Incidentally, Yusuf was being grilled by the men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday when his letter of reinstatement was sent to the Federal Ministry of Health.
Yusuf, who is being probed by the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, was accused of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919m.
A committee set up by the minister had submitted a probe report to the President last September accusing Yusuf of abuse of office.
In the report which was compiled by senior officials of the health ministry, the Department of State Services and the ICPC, the panel described Yusuf as a public servant who “portrayed a holier than thou attitude but at the background, milked the agency dry” by conniving with others to perpetrate fraud to the tune of over N919m.
According to the panel, the 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.According to the report, “His (Yusuf’s) deceitful attitude coupled with ‘name dropping’ of Mr. President as having sent him to sanitise the NHIS but he caused more harm than good to the scheme.”
The committee, therefore, recommended that the EFCC probe the agency for diversion of funds and contravention of the Procurement Act of 2007.
The report stated that Yusuf contravened the Procurement Act of 2007 through nepotism and other irregular award 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.
Most of the consultants were said to have charged about N250, 000 per participant.
-
Fraud: Health Minister approves suspension of NHIS secretary indefinitely
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has approved the indefinite suspension of the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf as panel submits report indicting him (Yusuf).
TheNewsGuru.com reports that Yusuf has been on three months suspension since July 6, based on the directive of the minister, to allow for fair and uninterrupted investigation of the various allegations levied against him.
However, in a letter addressed to the embattled NHIS chief on October 5, the minister stated that the committee that investigated Yusuf had submitted its report. He said the report has been forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for consideration and further action.
The minister noted that the committee found Mr. Yusuf “culpable in many areas” of his performance.
“I am further extending your suspension from office pending the decision of” President Buhari, the minister said.
Yusuf, a professor of Pediatrics, who took over the management of the insurance scheme in 2016, was suspended from office due to the allegations of fraud, misappropriation and nepotism which was alleged against him.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that his suspension had generated controversies with the House of Representatives asking that he be reinstated.
Yusuf had also replied the minister that he would not obey the suspension, saying the minister had no powers to suspend him.
Apart from the Executive Secretary, eight other top management staff of the agency were also suspended over corruption allegations.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the agency has since been headed by Attahiru Ibrahim in acting capacity.
-
NHIS: Reps threaten to arrest Health Minister over refusal to appear before it
The House of Representatives has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest against Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole over his refusal to appear before them to clear suspicions on the suspension of the Executive Secretary of National Insurance Health Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the lawmakers also said there would be no consideration of budget of the NHIS henceforth.
Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services, Chike Okafor, disclosed this after a closed door meeting with members of the committee.
The committee is currently investigating the issue and had demanded that the minister appeared before it.
Okafor said the minister had rather declined the call through a letter, saying: “The House resolution was communicated to the Health Minister and if you look through our proceedings, you will see that we were expecting the minister to come tomorrow (today) to give us an update on the crisis rocking the NHIS.
“But incidentally, I got a letter from him about an hour ago, saying he will not be available to appear before this committee. He gave a couple of reasons, which I would still relate to the committee when we dissolve into an executive session.
“Suffice it to say that the reasons are not acceptable to me. I was going to direct that we send a letter back to him as he claimed in his letter that he has engagements that will take him out of Abuja or that he is already out of Abuja.”
-
Health minister suspends 8 NHIS officials over fraud allegations
The Ministry of Health on Monday suspended eight officials of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
This comes after more facts were uncovered by the committee set up by the minister to investigate the suspended NHIS Executive Secretary, Prof. Usman Yusuf.
In a statement by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Mrs. Boade Akinola, said the General Manager and Zonal Coordinator (South-South) of the NHIS, Mr. Olufemi Akingbade, was one of the suspended persons.
The statement said Akingbade was accused of fraud while he was in charge of the ICT Department and was indicted by security agencies.
Others suspended by the ministry are General Manager (Finance), Mr. John Okon; General Manager (Human Resources and Administration) Mr. Yusuf Fatika; Assistant General Manager in charge of Audit, Mr. Shehu Adamu; and Assistant General Manager, Head Insurance, Mr. Vincent Mamdam.
The Senior Assistant Officer, Marketing, Mr. Safiyanu Attah; Senior Manager, Contribution Management, Owen Udo-Udoma; and Mr. Innocent Abbah who is the Senior Assistant Officer, Planning Research and Monitoring, were also suspended.
The statement added, “In furtherance of the activities of the investigative panel of inquiry and the desire to have an uninterrupted and robust investigation of all petitions at the NHIS, including security reports on maladministration and mismanagement by officials of the agency, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has approved the suspensions.”
The Executive Secretary of NHIS, Usman Yusuf had earlier been suspended for alleged corruption.
Yusuf had however said he would not follow the order, stating that he would resume office this week.