Adewole, acting NHIS ES summoned to Aso Rock

Isaac Adewole, minister of health, and Attahiru Ibrahim, acting executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have been summoned to the presidential villa in Abuja.

Ayo Osinlu, head, media and public relations of the scheme, disclosed this to NAN on Wednesday.

This could be in relation to the reinstatement of Usman Yusuf, suspended executive secretary of the organisation, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Osinlu said Yusuf had not reported to the office since his reinstatement

“NHIS Executive Secretary, Prof. Usman Yusuf is yet to resume office after his reinstatement by the federal government on Tuesday, February 6,” NAN quoted him to have said.

“The acting executive secretary, Malam Attahiru Ibrahim, and the Minister of Health, Prof. Issac Adewole, were invited to the Presidential Villa and we are waiting the outcome of the meeting.”

In July, Isaac Adewole, minister of health, suspended Yusuf for three months over allegations of fraud.

Adewole had set up a committee to probe the NHIS ES. The minister said the investigative committee found Yusuf culpable in the discharge of his responsibilities.

At the end of the three months, the minister extended the suspension indefinitely.

The minister said while the report of the committee had been forwarded to the president, Yusuf’s suspension had been extended “pending the decision of Mr President”.

The executive seretary had challenged the authority of Adewole, arguing that only Buhari could take such action against him.

He had said the allegations referred to by the minister were also being investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), which had not submitted its findings as of the time he was asked to step aside.

But Adewole said Yusuf’s response to the petition was unsatisfactory.

His reinstatement sparked outrage across the country, with some saying Buhari recalled him because he is from the president’s state of Katsina.

Insiders had told TheCable that since Yusuf was appointed on July 29, 2016, he had been violating every procurement law, dishing out contracts to cronies.

TheCable learnt that the final straw was the purchase of a Prado SUV by Yusuf for N58 million shortly before Ramadan, though his approval limit was N2.5 million.

A number of Prado SUVs were attached to his office, but he still went ahead to buy a new one, according to insiders.

Yusuf had denied all the allegations, maintaining that he was victimised for fighting corruption in NHIS.