The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Prof. Usman Yusuf, a prominent member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
It was learnt that a large number of EFCC operatives stormed Yusuf’s residence on Wednesday to arrest him.
Yusuf’s troubles date back to his tenure at NHIS during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. A petition filed with the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Health accused him of 12 counts of misconduct and fraudulent practices.
The allegations include the misappropriation of N860 million earmarked for training in 2016, violation of procurement laws in awarding contracts, nepotism by granting a media consultancy contract to his brother, and collusion with finance and audit heads to approve contractor payments before the delivery of goods.
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Additionally, Yusuf was accused of exceeding his N2.5 million spending limit without ministerial approval, inflating contract costs by over 100%, supplying substandard products to the agency, and manipulating the selection process for an insurance broker.
He was also accused of imposing a N7.2 million flat fee for Health Management Organizations (HMOs) registration.
The arrest comes months after Yusuf publicly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration. In a May 2024 interview with Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, he claimed that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had resulted in hopelessness instead of economic relief for Nigerians.
“People have lost hope. It pains me to see our people lining up to collect cups of palliatives. Renewed hope has turned into hopelessness,” Yusuf said.
He further accused the administration of pushing millions into poverty and criticized its economic management team, calling them “tax collectors” rather than economists.
The EFCC is yet to release an official statement on the case as of the time of filing this report.
As the situation unfolds, Nigerians await further details on the charges against Yusuf and the EFCC’s next course of action.
