Health minister suspends more top officials of NHIS

The minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole has placed more top officials of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on suspension.

Their suspension is coming as the heat generated by the ministry’s earlier suspension of the executive secretary of the agency, Prof. Usman Yusuf, is yet to simmer.

Yusuf had argued that only the president can suspend him. His position has however been opposed by the health minister who has insisted that he remains suspended as ordered by the ministry.

The suspension of the top officials was made announced in a statement from the ministry released on Monday.

The affected officials are the General Manager, Zonal Coordinator South South Zone, Olufemi Akingbade; General Manager, Finance, John Okon; the General Manager, Human Resources and Administration; Yusuf Fatika, and the Assistant General Manager, Audit, Shehu Adamu.

Others are Vincent Mamdam, the Assistant General Manager, Head Insurance; Safiyanu Attah – Senior Assistant Officer, Marketing; Owen Udo Udoma, Senior Manager, Contribution Management; and Innocent Abbah, Senior Assistant Officer, Planning Research and Monitoring.

Read also: Health insurance scheme under threat as Minister, Exec Sec fight dirty

According to the statement the officers were suspended to allow for an investigative panel of inquiry to thoroughly probe activities of the scheme and the desire to have an uninterrupted and robust investigation of all petitions at the NHIS, including “security reports on maladministration and mismanagement by officials of the Agency.”

Adewole called on the investigative committee to make sure they are “focused, fair and transparent in the discharge of this national task despite the sensation this development has generated.”

The statement further revealed that acting executive secretary of the scheme, Attahiru Ibrahim, has been directed to make sure that the suspension order was carried out with immediate effect.

 

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