The United Young Professionals has condemned the Presidency for reinstatement of the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NIHS), Prof. Usman Yusuf.
In a press statement on Thursday in Abuja, the National Coordinator of United Young Professionals, Adewole Kehinde said that tbe Buhari administration is fast losing the anti-graft war because Prof. Yusuf was still being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N919 million fraud before his reinstatement.
“Prof Yusuf was probed and indicted for fraud of N919million by a Committee set up by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, comprising senior officials of the Health Ministry, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and which report was submitted to President Buhari in September 2017.
“This same Prof. Yusuf has been name-dropping on President Buhari that even the Minister cannot query his actions as Executive Secretary of NHIS; the same Executive Secretary insulting the Minister of Health with unprintable names, Adewole said.
“We see the handiwork of a top powerful Presidency staff in the whole Yusuf saga. The Presidency staff brought Yusuf to head NHIS and claimed President Buhari brought him to sanitize the NHIS while the President has never met with Prof Yusuf .
“We are very sure the powerful Presidency staff want to embarrass the Minister of Health because he is from the South West and not a politician but an academicians of high repute.
“Instead of allowing for the conclusion of investigation and eventual prosecution by the EFCC, the Presidency halted the process and rewarded the indicted official with a reinstatement from suspension.
“We called on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency withdrawal the reinstatement letter and allow Prof. Yusuf to face his trial at the EFCC and allow the law to take it course if it is actually fighting corruption in Nigeria, the statement concluded.
