EXCLUSIVE: Health Minister Retires Top NHIS Chiefs

The Ministry of Health has approved the retirement of two General Managers of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), THE WHISTLER can exclusively report.

The ministry approved the retirement of the General Manger, Human Resources and Administration, Adamu Attahiru Ibrahim, and the General Manager Procurement Department, Tinau Lawal Umaru.

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THE WHISTLER sighted a document indicating that the retirement of the top NHIS management staff will take effect from May 1, 2019.

Attahiru, an economist and fellow of the Institute of Chartered Economist of Nigeria (ICEN), had once served as the acting Executive Secretary of the NHIS while Umaru was a co-chair of an investigative committee set up by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, to probe the embattled Executive Secretary of the Scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf for alleged infractions.

 Their retirement may be part of the recommendations of the presidential panel set up in October to investigate “the growing tension between boards and chief executives” of the NHIS.

The panel had submitted the report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, in December. 

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The Minister of Health had been embroiled in a leadership tussle with the NHIS Executive Secretary, Professor Yusuf, who was sent on “administrative leave” in October by President Muhammadu Buhari to enable the panel investigate the crisis without interference.

The NHIS governing board had suspended Yusuf for alleged fraud, but he defied the board, insisting that only President Buhari has the power to suspend him. The ES had also denied all the allegations levelled against him.

The prolonged unrest in the NHIS was what prompted the Federal Government to ask the ES to proceed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe.

But four months after after the presidential probe panel submitted its report to the SGF, no word has been heard on the actions taken in respect of the recommendations contained in the report.

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