- A source from the presidency said the committee set up by the health minister to investigate NHIS boss was bias
- The source said nearly all the allegations of corruption leveled against the NHIS boss were not substantiated
- The source also stated that the NHIS boss was brought in by President Buhari to clean up corrupt practices in the NHIS
The minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has been accused of setting up a committee that was neither independent nor free from biases, to investigate the executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, who was suspended for gross misconduct.
Recall that a panel commissioned by the minister after Yusuf’s suspension later found him culpable for infractions that ranged from nepotism to theft of public funds.
President Muhammadu Buhari had, since, ordered the recall of Professor Yusuf who had been suspended by the health minister since June 2017.
A Presidency source who pleaded for anonymity told the Sun Newspaper that the committee set up to probe Yusuf was neither independent nor free from biases.
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According to the source, some of the allegations brought against Yusuf by the United Youth Alliance Against Corruption (UYAC) and the Association of Senior Civil Servants could not be substantiated, adding that no evidence was brought forward in the 20 of the 23 allegations.
The source added that allegations were concocted as there were evident alterations and mix-ups in dates on some of the petitions.
“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 stated.
The source further said that Professor Yusuf was actually brought in by President Buhari to sanitise the NHIS and clean up the corrupt practices that have threatened the existence of the scheme as major partner donors are threatening withhold their assistance.
The source added: “It is equally clear from investigations that the Presidency identified an acute lack of capacity in the NHIS as an organization and unless a new set of competent managers are found and recruited, the objectives of setting up of the NHIS may remain a mirage.
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“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.”
NAIJ.com previously reported that the worker’s union of the NHIS on Thursday, February 8, staged a protest against the reinstatement of Professor Yusuf.
Scores of the union workers are currently staging a protest at the NHIS office in Utako, Abuja.
According to the workers, reinstating Yusuf at this time is contrary to fairness and equity.
“The man has a case in court. We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to revisit allegations against Mr Yusuf and investigate this matter before reinstating him.
“EFCC is investigating him and president Buhari should allow the investigation before recalling him”, the chairman association of senior civil servant NHIS chapter, Razaq Omomeji, said.
Buhari is the general overseer of corruption - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng