The suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has alleged that the Permanent Secretary and Directors in the Ministry of Health shared, N19 million to perfect his indictment over the crisis rocking the Scheme.

Usman told the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the NHIS crisis on Friday that his indictment and subsequent suspension by the Ministry of Health was a pre-emptive coup aimed at preventing him from submitting a damning report on the shoddy deals at the Health Management Organizations (HMOs).

He further accused the the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Scheme, Dr. Anyantu Ifenne, of arrogating wide powers to herself contrary to the provisions of Act 35 of 1999, which established the Scheme.

“Why did they choose October 18 to suspend me. That was the day I was going to present a report of the violation of Public Procurement Act in the NHIS. My suspension was nothing but a pre-emptive coup against transparency,” the suspended NHIS boss said.

Asked whether he fictitiously awarded contracts to his cronies and associates during his tenure, as alleged by the Governing Board Chairman, Usman insisted there was no fictitious contract awarded.

He promised to tender all contract documents before the committee to prove that the new allegations against him were merely recycled from his previous suspension, which he claimed had been investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and cleared him.

He further noted that the procurement process in the award of contracts in the Scheme was transparent as about 28 companies were involved in the tendering and contact selection process before a most qualified contractor, Lubek Nigeria Limited, was chosen.

The Committee Chairman, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) requested the suspended NHIS boss to tender before the committee all the necessary documents to back his claims of innocence.

This was just as the ad hoc committee wrapped up its two-day investigative hearing of the crisis ridden Scheme, which started on Thursday.

Ossai also assured of the Committee’s readiness to get to the root of the crisis sos as to proffer an enduring solution. (Daily Trust)