The saga regarding the suspension of the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf has taken a new dimension as the embattled boss has sued the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and the NHIS itself over his suspension by the governing council of the board.
Yusuf instituted the suit with the number, FHC/ABJ/CS/1220/2018 filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday through his counsel Uchechukwu Obi (SAN).
in the suit, the NHIS boss asked the court to rule that the governing council of the Health body had no powers under the provisions of the NHIS Act to suspend him from office under sections 6 and 7 of the Act as well as the power to discipline him or investigate allegations made against him as stated by their internal memorandum on October 19, 2018.
The suit also asked the court to declare that “only the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and no other, upon the recommendation of the minister of health can discipline, investigate, suspend or remove him from office.”
The plaintiff therefore prayed the court to set aside his purported suspension from the NHIS by the board of the agency and declare it null and void.
Yusuf further asked the court to determine if the minister could suspend him without the express approval of the President.
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Prof Usman Yusuf had been suspended by the board of the NHIS on allegations of fraud and insubordination.
He had been previously suspended by the Minister of Health, in July of last year after he was accused of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919m.
Yusuf was however reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2019 before being suspended again by the governing council of the NHIS on October 19.
He however refused to obey the suspension order as he resumed for work in company of police officers who muscled him into his office amidst protests by staff of the health body.