A major industrial crisis is looming at the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS over the alleged illegal recruitment of senior staff, including General Managers, from other organisations to NHIS, in flagrant violation of the Public Service Rules and other extant regulations governing the issue of secondment in the public service.
It was gathered that no fewer than 15 of such recruitments from the Northern part of the country were done, including a 32-year-old woman, who was elevated to General Manager in NHIS.
Four of the newly recruited, including the 32-year-old woman, were made Heads of Department and placed on grade level 15, equivalent to General Managers.
Meanwhile, organized labour has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the management of NHIS to reverse the perceived illegal recruitments. Speaking through the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, labour insisted that a situation where people on grade level 10 in their former work-places are placed on grade level 15 at the NHIS was inconsistent with their qualifications and experience and same unacceptable.
The association, in a statement released by the Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, lamented that efforts by the union to reach out to the Executive Secretary of NHIS, Professor Usman Yusuf, to have a change of heart and convene a meeting to discuss the perceived illegal recruitment of staff into NHIS had been rebuffed.
According to the ASCSN Secretary-General, the 21–day ultimatum was also copied to the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Ministries of Health, Labour and Employment, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General, State Security Services, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, among others, to avail them of the development.