The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has feigned he was unaware that the reinstated Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Usman Yusuf was being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over allegation of corruption.
Mohammed was fielding questions from State House correspondents on why the Federal Government decided to upturn the suspension slammed on the Executive Secretary when he was allegedly being investigated by EFCC.
“I am not aware that the EFCC is investigating the recently reinstated Executive Secretary of the NHIS. But if that is the case, I don’t think his reinstatement is to bar any investigation,” he said at the briefing Tuesday after the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Reminded that the National Assembly investigated the Executive Secretary who was later suspended by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, he maintained that he was not aware of any EFCC probe.
“So, I am not saying I am not aware that he was suspended or any investigation is going on but the issue of EFCC in particular was what I said, that I am not aware that he is being investigated by EFCC. Even if that is true, the fact that he has been reinstated does not mean that the EFCC will not continue with its investigation,” he concluded.
However, EFCC, said Tuesday night that the sudden recall of the NHIS boss by the Presidency would not stop probe.
A top source in the EFCC confirmed to Vanguard last night that the letter by the Chief of Staff to the President recalling the troubled NHIS boss did not in any way prevent him from being made to account for the N919 million fraud at the NHIS.
“Look, that letter by the CoS to the President reinstating Yusuf to his post does not in any way stop us from digging into what he did with the huge amount of money taken away from the scheme,” an official of the EFCC said, as public criticism heightened over the questionable recall of Prof Yusuf.
Let it also be noted that the President, who is against any form of corruption by any of his officials, has not asked us to hands off the investigation of the alleged fraud in the NHIS.”
