‘There’ll be trouble if you step into office on Monday’ — civil servants dare suspended NHIS ES

Razaq Omomeji, chairman of the National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS) chapter of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria,
says Usman Yusuf, suspended executive secretary of NHIS, will meet
his Waterloo if he steps into office on Monday.

Enantu Ifenna, chairman, NHIS governing board, announced Yusuf’s
suspension on Thursday.

The ES was suspended indefinitely over allegations of financial
infractions.

However, Yusuf was said to have reported to the office of the
agency in Abuja on Friday, ignoring his suspension.

In a memo he sent to Ifenna, Yusuf said only President Muhammadu
Buhari reserves the power to suspend him.

“As you are aware, by virtue of Section 8 of the NHIS Act, my
appointment, like yours, is at the instance of the President, while
the council’s power of appointment is limited to directors and
other employees of the scheme,” the memo read.

“It is, therefore, ultra vires or the council to suspend or
purport to suspend me from office to the extent that the said
suspension is the prerogative of Mr President.”

Reacting to Yusuf’s non-compliance with the suspension, Omomeji
told TheCable that the suspended ES misinterpreted the act he
cited.

Omomeji explained that the governing board suspended Yusuf, not
sack him.

He said by suspending Yusuf, the board lived up to its role as
an ambassador of the anti-corruption crusade of the president.

“The council has the power to suspend him and he remains
suspended. Not only on suspension, he is to face a panel,” he
said.

“They are both appointees of the president. Should there be any
infraction among them, the council can resolve to put them on
suspension.

“They are not sacking him. There are allegations of corruption
against him. The panel has decided that he has to face it. So, he
can be placed on suspension while the investigation is going on to
ascertain the allegations against him.

“Among the reasons he was found wanting is an image capturing
machine which the highest amount you can get it in this country is
between 400 and 450 thousand naira, he quoted it as N7.5 million to
the council.

“If the council had not been careful and had blindly approved it
for him, they would say the council connived with him to steal our
money. And this is the man going all around saying he is fighting
corruption and corruption is fighting back. Who is fighting
corruption, who is the corruption per se?

“The question is, corruption is what this government is
fighting, right? The president cannot be everywhere so in our own
capacity, anywhere we are, we are his ambassadors and we have to
expose any act of corruption, no matter whose ox is gorged.

“He has been suspended. If he comes near the office, he will
meet his Waterloo, let him accept it.”