Just a few months after being re-instated by President Buhari, the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, has now been suspended indefinitely.
It was gathered that the governing board of the NHIS announced the indefinite suspension of Yusuf yesterday, and appointed Sadiq Abubakar as the acting executive secretary.
During a briefing at Abuja, the Chairman of the NHIS board, Dr Enyantu Ifenne, accused Yusuf of insubordination, fraud, arbitrariness and other corrupt practices.
Ifenne said;
“The council has met. We have been inundated with petitions. We also observed some executive infractions that we cannot ignore, especially in an 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 an 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 the way forward.”
She noted that Yusuf was suspended to allow for unencumbered, unfettered space to do a thorough investigation.
When asked what the council would do if the Presidency overrules its decision and reinstate Yusuf as it did earlier, Ifenne said she didn’t envisage such an action.
It may be recalled that Yusuf was suspended by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole last year over a N919m fraud but was controversially reinstated by Buhari on February 6, 2018