The Senate on Tuesday mandated a seven-man ad-hoc committee to probe the N860 million allegedly spent by the Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Yusuf Usman. The expenditure was said to be without approval of the appropriate authority.

The resolution to set up the committee followed a motion entitled: “Averting the looming crisis and monumental corruption in Nigeria’s Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS): a time for action,” tabled by Senator Kabir Garba Marafa (Zamfara Central). Senator Marafa, in his lead debate, recalled that the Senate Committee on Health had at a point expressed grave concern over the behavior of the Executive Secretary especially to his superiors in the ministry over official matters.

He noted that Usman has a spending limit of only N2.5 million while any spending above his threshold must either be referred to the Board or his supervising ministry. Marafa expressed concern about the alleged corrupt expenditure of N292 million single-handedly incurred by the Executive Secretary for health care financing training and the N118 million allegedly spent for training of staff without reference to any appropriate approving authority.

The Nation