Health Minister Should Respond to Sleaze Allegations

Much as I disagree with the insubordination of the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf, I would want us to focus on the issues raised by Yusuf. Yes, it is preposterous for Yusuf to publicly declare that the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole has no power to suspend him. Yes, he is clearly silly to say that it was only President Buhari that could suspend or remove him. Yusuf, being a public officer, is bound by the regulations governing the public service. The NHIS is an agency supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health. Besides, Adewole got the approval of the Acting President before taking the decision to suspend him. So, Yusuf’s suspension is legitimate.

However, I am worried that Yusuf was accused of corruption and suspended few weeks after he raised allegation of sleaze in the NHIS scheme and alleged pressure from the health minister to make some dubious payments. Perhaps, Adewole does not understand the implications of these accusations in relation to the Buhari administration’s war against corruption. I think I need to repeat the allegations. He alleged that you, Adewole, asked him to pay N197,072,500 for contracts awarded by the ministry “without budgetary provision.” That on March 28, 2017, you directed him through your Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Binta Bello to pay the said amount for rehabilitation works in some Federal Medical Centres, but that he visited the affected chief medical directors, and discovered that no such projects were executed. He also alleged that you tried to force him to release $37,383 to some staff in your ministry to attend a World Health Organisation conference in Switzerland, contrary to an existing government circular from the office of the SGF that ministers should not pressurise parastatals to sponsor foreign trips.

These are the issues our dear health minister should properly address in the spirit of this government’s anti-corruption war. My dear Adewole, please, do the needful. Meanwhile, the minister should, in the spirit of fairness, allow the ICPC to handle the alleged fraud/gross abuse of office against Yusuf.