After months of prevarication, President Muhammadu Buhari finally approved the termination of the appointment of the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf on Monday. The president also approved the appointment of Prof. Mohammed Nasir Sambo as the new NHIS Executive Secretary.
The President also approved the dissolution of NHIS Governing Board and directed the Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health to assume full powers of the Council pending the constitution of a new Board.
A statement by the Director, Media and Public Relations in the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Boade Akinola, said following the recommendations of report by an Independent Fact Finding Panel on National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Yusuf, who had been on administrative leave, was removed from office.
The statement said: “President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Dr. Chikwe Andreas Ihekweazu as Director –General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The appointment is in line with the provisions of section 11(1)(3) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(Establishment) Act, 2018,” it said.
The former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, had suspended Yusuf over alleged fraud. A probe panel later set up by the Federal Government last year had recommended the immediate sack of Yusuf and also advised that an interim management team be appointed for the organization to prevent vacuum. The President, however did not act on the report until Monday’s announcement of his sack.
