The governing board of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has suspended the Executive Secretary of the Scheme barely 8 months after being reinstated by President Buhari.
Prof. Usman Yusuf, was suspended indefinitely by the governing council of the NHIS.
Prof Usman’s suspension was revealed to newsmen in a resolution read out by the chairperson of the NHIS governing council, Ifenne Enyanatu, after a two-day closed door meeting at the head office of the NHIS in Abuja on Thursday.
Enyanatu revealed that the council resolved to suspend Yusuf because it had received several petitions against the erstwhile NHIS boss while also informing journalists present that the council had also resolved to set up an administrative panel.
Enyanatu further disclosed that the panel had been commissioned to investigate Yusuf for three months and it was only right for him to step aside pending the outcome of the probe,
She said the council had obtained permission from the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, before going ahead with its plan.
The council chairman also announced Mallam Sadiq Abubakar as the new Executive Secretary of the NHIS.
Yusuf, who is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), had earlier been suspended by the minister in July last year.
The suspension had followed a directive from the Vice-President in an Acting capacity as President at the time, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Following the directive by the vice-president, a panel had been set up to investigate Yusuf and indicted him of fraud to the tune of N900m.
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