NHIS crisis depeens as Reps threaten to arrest Minister of Health

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Health Services on Wednesday threatened to issue warrant of arrest against Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health if he fails to clarify issues on the suspension of Usman Yusuf, Executive Secretary of National Insurance Health Scheme (NHIS).

Chike Okafor, chairman, House Committee on Health Services, passed the resolution after deliberating on the letter written by the Minister where he specifically stated that he would not appear before the Committee on Thursday, 27th July, 2017.

Okafor while stating the unanimous decision of the Committee members discharged the Acting Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Attahiru with the proviso that the lawmakers would treat the NHIS budget as soon as the Minister appears before the committee to resolve the NHIS issue.

“The House resolution was communicated to the Health Minister and if you look through our proceedings, you will see that we were expecting the Minister to come tomorrow (today) to give us an update on the crisis rocking the NHIS.

“But incidentally, I got a letter from him about an hour ago, saying he will not be available to appear before this committee.

“He gave a couple of reasons, which I would still relate to the Committee when we dissolve into an executive session.

“Suffice to say, that the reasons are not acceptable to me. I was going to direct that we send a letter back to him as he claimed in his letter that he has engagements that will take him out of Abuja or that he is already out of Abuja,” he said.

The lawmaker, who also spoke to journalists immediately after the Committee concluded it’s closed door session, said that members equally agreed  that should Adewole fail to appear on a new date, the Committee should issue a bench warrant to compel his appearance.

The House had on Wednesday, 12th June, 2017 resolved to: “invite the Health Minister, Prof Isaac Adewole to show cause why he should not be cited for contempt of the House as the suspension of the Executive Secretary of NHIS, appears to be intended to intimidate him, punish him for testifying before the House and silence him for further testifying before the House of Representatives in its constitutional duties of investigation of issues of corruption, inefficiency and waste in governance.

 

KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja