NHIS Workers Shun Embattled Yusuf’s Meeting
Suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, could not hold his scheduled meeting with staff of the Agency, as the workers insisted he has no moral authority to invite them for a meeting while on suspension.
Yusuf, had through his Chief of Staff, Ateiza Issa, summoned a Staff meeting for today, Friday of all staff to enable him address them on the controversy surrounding his current travails.
However, Forefront learnt that the axed NHIS boss did not turn up at the venue of the meeting, just as our correspondents were reliably told that he has taken his case to higher powers for intervention.
“The man did not attend the meeting he ordered his Chief of Staff to summon. It is clear that the truth is dawning on him. He has no option but wait for due process to take its course. Let there be an independent panel to probe him and if he is found guiltless, he should return to his position,” said a worker at the Scheme.
Another worker told this medium that the greatest challenge of NHIS under Yusuf was the absence of clear-cut vision on moving the agency to the next level.
“Here is a man who never evolved any policy to assist move the Scheme up from its current level and impact positively on the beneficiaries. He was busy transferring staff whom he accused of being incompetent. He did that to give them bad names in order to hang them,” said the worker.
But a source close to the embattled ES however insisted that the man was up in arms against powerful forces crippling the NHIS and that became his greatest undoing.
“He had good intentions for the Scheme, but he went about it the wrong way. He could not galvanise support from staff to fight the big forces that have hijacked NHIS. And by ignoring staffers and top ministry officials, he got everything wrong. That is what is responsible for his present predicament,” said the source.
According to the source, “Regrettably, Oga refused to give heed to wise counsel from some of his close aides, preferring to go solo on very sensitive issues that he needed strong coalition with the workers and even perceived opponents within the system to tackle effectively.”
Meanwhile, Forefront got a copy of the suspension letter delivered to Yusuf. The letter, signed by the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, is dated Thursday, July 6, 2017.
According to the letter, Yusuf was directed to proceed on three months suspension to enable an inter-ministerial committee investigate all allegations levelled against him.
