Above the law: Trouble looms as suspended NHIS boss goes back to office tomorrow
Normalcy prevailed at the premises of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Wednesday, following the reinstatement of the Executive Secretary, Prof Usman Yusuf, who is expected to resume Thursday, even as organised labour expressed shock.
A source at the NHIS head office in Abuja who disclosed to Vanguard on Wednesday, however decried the manner of the Executive Secretary’s reinstatement by the Presidency. “We are embarrassed to read about the reinstatement of the NHIS Executive Secretary, Prof. Usman Yusuf, from the media this morning. “There was no prior communication to the Scheme about the development.
That fact, notwithstanding, we anticipated his return today but saw no sign of him. However, we have it on good authority that he would resume on Thursday,” the source noted. It would be recalled that Yusuf was suspended in June 2017 by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole following his indictment by an administrative panel set-up by the Minister to probe allegations of gross misconduct and financial recklessness level against him. Yusuf was reinstated on Tuesday by President Mohammadu Buhari. In a response to the development, organised labour yesterday expressed shock, contending that it mocked President Buhari’s acclaimed war against corruption. Speaking through the Association’s of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, Labour declared that the recall of Prof Yusuf was another dent in the anti-corruption war of President Buhari-led Federal Government. In a statement issued in Lagos, the ASCSN Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal posited that the action of the President was capable of being interpreted to mean that the Government anti-graft war was selective and designed to deal with specific targets.
According to the statement: “How can a government official being investigated for a whopping sum of N919 million fraud by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) be reinstated by the Government that came to power promising to sanitize the system. This is very unfortunate. We, therefore, urge President Buhari to rescind his action and allow Professor Yusuf to leave the system in peace. “As a Union, we believe that the action of Mr. President is capable of lending credence to Professor Yusuf arrogant public statements several times that he could not report to the Minister of Health since he deal directly with Mr. President.
Thus, if Professor Yusuf resumes as Executive Secretary of NHIS, it will amount to passing a vote of no confidence on the Minister. “What type of a Government are we claiming to be running that anyone who is close to the President will become lawless, will not obey Public Service Rules, nor report to the supervisory Minister, running a Government Agency as his personal estate because he close to the powers that be. This is the type of action that continues to give the like of United State President, Donald Trump, the effrontery to be deriding Africa and its leaders.”
ASCSN argued that the Investigative Panel set up by the Minister of Health to look into the alleged atrocities of Professor Yusuf which include engaging Consultancy Firm in which he had vested interest to be ripping off the NHIS was serious public demeanour that should not be condoned. The statement added that “It is also on record that Professor Yusuf has recruited persons from his primordial constituency who are on grade level 10 in the State Public Service and imposed them on the staff of the NHIS by placing them on grade level 15 and above. This is one intervention too many and as such Mr. President should allow Professor Yusuf to retire from service to have time to run his personal business.
“The Union is of the opinion that the dust surrounding the smuggling of Maina, former Chairman, Presidential Task Forces on Pension Reforms back to the Public Service is just settling down and now it is the re-instatement of Professor Yusuf. Already, the workers in the NHIS have become restive thereby setting the tone for the series of Trade Union actions that will be deployed if Yusuf is eventually reinstated.” Vanguard
