President Muhammadu Buhari has terminated the appointment of Prof. Usman Yusuf as Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
A statement issued by the Director, Media and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health, Boade Akinola, said the president has appointed Prof. Mohammed Sambo as the new boss of NHIS.
Mrs Akinola said the termination of Yusuf’s appointment was part of recommendations of report by an Independent Fact-Finding Panel on NHIS.
Yusuf was accused of breaching the Public Procurement Act and Public Service Rules.
He had been on suspension since November 2018 after which a seven-man committee was set up by the Federal Government to investigate him.
The panel said Yusuf’s social media outbursts were embarrassing to the government and that he did not have a good relationship with the agency’s staff, local unions, health management organisations and health care providers.
Yusuf, had in an interview with Punch in 2017 cursed the former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, saying “Fu*k the Minister of Health.”
Akinola said Mr Buhari also approved the dissolution of the governing board of NHIS and directed the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, to exercise full powers of the council pending the constitution of a new board.
Buhari has also approved the appointment of Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu as Director–General (DG) of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Iheakwezu’s appointment, according to the statement, is in line with the provisions of section 11(1)(3) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(Establishment) Act, 2018.
