Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has expressed readiness to return seized funds in its custody to the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS.
A statement issued weekend by Ayo Osinlu, NHIS’ Head of Press & Public Relations, said the funds were recovered from some public officials who allegedly milked the treasury of the scheme dry.
According to Osinlu, the EFCC boss spoke during an advocacy visit to his office by the Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Mohammed Nasir Sambo, in Abuja.
The statement quoted Magu as saying that “the funds were retained in the safe custody of EFCC because the agency needed concrete assurance of due process, transparency and accountability in the further handling of the recovered funds.”
The EFCC advised his NHIS counterpart to intensify his ongoing value reorientation strategy to deepen the moral tone of staff and stakeholders of the Scheme.
Earlier, Sambo had urged the EFCC to release the funds to augment the dwindling resources of the Scheme.
He said: “Recent rapid assessments by the new leadership the NHIS indicate pressing need of funds for critical activities to grow the mandate of the Scheme.”
Sambo also listed professionalization of the operations of the organisation, strengthening of the state offices, and the firm application of the reward and sanction mechanism to regulate conduct of all players in the industry as part of his strategies for taking the Scheme to the next level.
