NHIS Boss Admits Brother Won N46M Contract, Says HMOs Behind his Travails

Malik Yahya/

The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, has admitted that a company owned by his brother, Mohammed Kabir-Yar’Adua, won a N46 million contract in 2016.

Yusuf admitted this today while appearing before an Ad Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives investigating the crisis and operations of the NHIS.

He also told the committee that a cartel within the Health Management Organisations (HMOs) are behind his travails.

Yusuf was crossed-examined over an allegation made by NHIS workers’ unions that he awarded contracts in excess of N508 million “without due process”.

But, Yusuf told the committee, which is chaired by Mr Nicholas Ossai, that his brother “is a Nigerian, and his company won the contract after open, public bidding”.

He denied to have influenced the award of the contract, adding that he also did not know at the time that the firm applied for the contract.

Yusuf is already on administrative leave, following allegations of financial services infractions levelled against him by the Governing Council of the NHIS.

He claimed that he incurred the wrath of the HMOs because he came to expose corruption in the NHIS.

He told the panel: “HMO cartels are behind all these issues at the NHIS. They are untouchable and they are behind threats to my life and security.”

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