EXCLUSIVE: NHIS Governing Council Snubs Buhari, Calls For 2-Day Meeting

The Governing Council (Board) of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, will meet today and tomorrow to take crucial decisions that may affect the scheme even as the Presidential panel set up to probe the crisis in the Scheme is yet to submit its report.

The decision of the Board to meet is a clear disregard of the directive of the Secretary to the Federal Government, Boss Mustapha, which instructed all sides to the dispute to await the report of the Presidential Panel inaugurated on November 2.

Sources close to the Board told THE WHISTLER that the meeting is scheduled to discuss important matters relating to implementation of the NHIS 2018 budget, which was one of the key reasons for the breakdown in the relationship between the suspended Executive Secretary, Prof. Usman Yusuf and the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Ifenne Enyanatu.

Following protracted crisis at the NHIS, the SGF had on October 31 ordered Dr Yusuf to proceed on suspension to allow unfettered investigations of the allegations leveled against him by the Board.

A Presidential Probe Panel headed by Dr Hassan Bukar, a retired Permanent Secretary, was later inaugurated on November 2 and given two weeks to submit its report.

Among other terms of reference, the panel will investigate the alleged infractions listed by the NHIS Board in a letter dated October 18, 2018, and determine the extent of culpability or otherwise of Yusuf with regards to the allegations.

It is to also investigate the issues that led to the unhealthy relationship between the Board and the CEO, establish the role of staff union in the impasse and examine all governance challenges in the NHIS and make appropriate recommendations.

A Director of Administration in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Ben Omogo, was also deployed to oversee the affairs of the scheme.

But in obvious disregard of the office of the SGF which all parties to await the report of the panel, the Board is insisting on meeting to take decisions on the NHIS budget in the absence of an executive secretary or the man appointed in his place to run the affairs of the Scheme.

Mr. Omogo, who is in charge following the suspension of Dr.Yusuf would not be in the office during the meeting. THE WHISTLER however learnt that he had designated a General Manager to act on his behalf, an action some management staff of the Scheme considered suspicious since the Federal Government in its wisdom had appointed a Director and not a GM to oversee the affairs of the Agency.

Moreover, our sources say there are other considerations which makes the proposed meeting suspicious.

The budget of the Agency signed by the Board Chairman a week after Dr. Yusuf was suspended contained items that the latter had resisted while in office.

They include N200 million for travels of Board members; N200 million for staff audit imposed on the Agency by the Board even when a similar exercise that cost N50 million was conducted in 2010, and the sum of N80 million to support staff sports.

Some management staff who spoke to THE WHISTLER expressed fears that the Board planned to use the absence of Dr Yusuf to release the Agency’s funds to members of the Board, some of who are politicians to use for election campaign.

It was also disclosed that the Board members belong to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and may use the Agency’s funds to run campaigns against the All Progressive Congress Administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The suspended Executive Secretary had opposed some of the items imposed in the budget by the Governing Council and it is one of the reasons the Council wanted him out by all means. Now that he is not there, they are getting ready to perpetrate their scam,” a source revealed.

Other members of the panel include Dr Emmanuel Meribole, Adewale Owolo, Shamsuddeen Bello, Ishaq Yahaya, Dr Ekanem John Udoh and Mrs Jummai Idakwo, who will serve as secretary.