Exclusive: Suspended NHIS Boss, Usman Yusuf In Top Level Scheme To Return To His Job
Information at the disposal of this medium indicates that the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf has enlisted the support to two influential figures from the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari to help him return to his position at the NHIS.
A source in the corridors of power who pleaded anonymity disclosed that the suspended NHIS executive secretary have warmed his way into the heart of these two influential figures using the ethnic and religious cards.
“Prof Usman Yusuf has gotten the support of two powerful people from the hometown of Daura as Mr. President, and these individuals have been making moves towards ensuring that the president reinstates Prof Usman Yusuf back to the NHIS.” Our source stated.
“I can confirm to you now that the pressure on the president is tremendous and it is likely that they may succeed given the fact that Mr. President has regards for both men.” He further added.
Another source in the know of events that lead to the suspension of Prof Usman Yusuf as the executive secretary by the minister of health revealed that since his suspension was announced, Prof Usman Yusuf has turned the president’s hometown into his abode. “He regularly visits Daura at the slightest meeting and pleading with all those that have the ears of the president so he can be reinstated. He has poisoned their minds to see his suspension as an insult to the authority of the president and also an agenda by the Yoruba to undermine President Buhari’s administration.”
The source also added that one of the persons pushing for this case heads an agency of government that has in their possession the report of the investigative committee set up by the ministry of health. “This agency had a member in the investigative committee that investigated Prof Usman Yusuf, and it did establish that all Usman Yusuf was accused off was indeed true because he violated all known procurement laws, he awarded dubious contracts to families and cronies, he collected monies for foreign trips he didn’t attend and many other infractions while he was executive secretary”.
In one of the documents seen by this medium, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) after due investigations, directed the NHIS management to recover monies meant for an aborted trip to the Netherlands. In the document with ref number ICPC/SDD/TB/53/2017 and titled” Investigation Activities” the management of the NHIS was mandated to recover monies illegally collected from the coffers of the NHIS and return same and also provide evidence to the ICPC that monies had been returned to the NHIS.”
It would be recalled that the investigative committee had found Prof Usman Yusuf guilty of gross abuse of office by awarding fictitious contracts running into hundreds of millions, violation of procurement process, spending without approval from the National Assembly, illegal recruitments, falsification of documents, conversion of office items into personal use, and a host of other anomalies.
A source added that it “would indeed be a great dent in the image of President Buhari if he allows himself to be used by some people in this case. “This is a clear case of corruption, and there are documents to that effect. This is not about religion or tribe, it is about making Nigeria work, and there should be no sacred cows” he stated.