Panel investigating suspended NHIS boss receive N19 million as 'honorarium'

macfranc007 October 10, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Nnenna Ibeh

- Members of the panel investigating the suspended National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) boss received N19 million as sitting allowance

- The panel received the money from the Treasury Single Account of the NHIS

- The chairperson of the 21-member committee received N1.28 million as honorarium for committee IRO Investigation on NHIS

The investigative panel committee inaugurated to probe the executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme have been paid N19 million as sitting allowance, Daily Trust reports.

Investigation on some official documents shows that 21 members of the probe committee were paid N19,184,000 from NHIS's Treasury Single Account (TSA).

The payment which was made on Thursday, September 14, was described as "honorarium for committee IRO Investigation on NHIS"

The documents also revealed that the chairperson of the committee, Binta Bello, who is the immediate past permanent secretary for the ministry of health received N1.28 million while 13 directors of the committee were paid N960,000.

Also the four assistant directors received N640,000 each while the security details attached to the permanent secretary received N320,000 each for the three weeks the committee sat.

Meanwhile, N1.9 million was paid to the committee secretary, J.O Amedu, for the purchase of stationeries used during the probe.

Members of the committee include, Wapada Balami, Halad Keana, Anthony Hassan, Gambo Mu’azu, Olayemi Sotomi, Laurat Elayo, David Aku, Paul Damian, Araoye Segilola, Mohammed B. Orire, Evans Uoekanem, O. J Amedu and Jamiu Adelabu Abdulkareem.

The four assistant directors include: Dickson Ohenmwen, Peter C. Uzoje, Charity Oyinyechi Chibuzo, and Abdulqadir Bello.

The security details on the committee are Garba Mustapha, Kolawole Kareem Rasaki, and Abubakar Mohammed.

Meanwhile, condemning the payments made to the panel, an official of the ministry said the action is a criminal violation of the civil service rule.

The official said: "What is most worrisome is the fact that money was paid out of the coffers of the NHIS which is essentially money from enrolees meant to pay for their medical care and that of their families."

“Why did the ministry of health not pay for a committee it set up?” another official asked.

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NAIJ.com earlier reported that the NHIS boss, Usman Yusuf, was suspended by the minister of health, Isaac Adewole, over allegations of fraud.

Yusuf, reports said, was accused of corrupt expenditure to the tune of N292 million which he allegedly spent on health care training without approval from the appropriate authority.

However, a couple of months after the initial suspension, the minister announced an indefinite suspension of Yusuf to enable a probe panel investigate the fraud allegation.

The committee was saddled with the responsibility of looking into the allegations of crimes against the suspended NHIS boss.

Nigerians speak out against N1,500 budget for health per person - on NAIJ.com TV.