House Commences Investigation into N264m Budget Padding Allegation against NHIS Boss

Following a motion passed on October 24, 2018, by the House of Representatives to investigate the lingering leadership crisis rocking the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), an ad hoc committee on Thursday commenced investigation into allegations against the suspended NHIS Executive Secretary, Professor Usman Yusuf.

Following the purported suspension of the executive secretary over alleged gross misconduct and his disregarded for the suspension, Hon. Diri Douye (Bayelsa, PDP) had moved a motion of urgent national importance calling for the investigation.

The House investigation started just as President Muhammadu Buhari last Wednesday ordered the embattled NHIS executive secretary to proceed on administrative leave to allow unfettered investigation.

The House committee headed by Ossai Nichola Ossai (Delta, PDP) started by questioning the Chairman, NHIS Governing Council, Dr. Enyantu Ifenne, on why Yusuf was suspended.

Addressing the lawmakers, Ifenne alleged that Yusuf was involved in corrupt acts bothering on budget padding, non-disclosure of vital information, refusal to implement council resolutions and highhandedness.

According to her, “The council observed and documented these infractions over the past months. The issues included financial mismanagement, procurement process violations, human resource mismanagement, non-disclosure of vital information and refusal to implement council resolutions and policy directives and gross insubordination."

She revealed further that the NHIS was operating without an approved budget since March 2018, stressing that "the council held meetings and reviewed four different versions of budget and streamlined expenditure down. The council removed the N264 million padding discovered in the 2018 budget proposal. We also reduced the N1billion staff training to N250million, and the executive secretary in 2017 spent N919 million for departmental training. We are concerned that NHIS last audited accounts was in 2010 making it impossible to determine the true financial position."

Also, the Chairman, Senior Civil Servants Union (SCSU), Mr. Omomeji Abdurazak, accused Yusuf of misleading the council to almost approve N30billion residual funds of contributors to the scheme until the union declined.

Abdurazak demanded that Yusuf should be made to refund the sum of N13million purportedly collected for an aborted trip for him and four others to Netherlands, contending that he engaged in expenditure above the approved limit of N2.5million, accusing him of dividing members of staff of NHIS along ethnic and religious lines.

Yusuf, however, declined making oral argument at the committee, saying he prefers to stand by his written submission presented to the committee.

The committee chairman said the committee would work to uncover the truth of the matter, noting that "we were given the mandate to unravel the truth behind the NHIS lingering crisis, and that is exactly what we shall do. We don't intend to witch-hunt anyone, as everyone involved would be given the opportunity to make their submissions."