By Abiola Olawale
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has formally charged Usman Yusuf, a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), with a five-count amended indictment charges relating to accusations of fraudulent activities.
These charges highlight serious allegations of misconduct during his tenure and breach of public trust in his role overseeing national health insurance initiatives.
Yusuf is accused of financial mismanagement, allegedly inflating an ICT budget from N4.975 billion to N8.7 billion, approving payments beyond his limit, awarding contracts to family members, including Lubekh Nigeria Limited, where his nephew Khalifa Hassan Yusufu was allegedly a director, and using his position for personal gains by approving contracts without due process.
Yusuf was arrested at his Abuja residence on January 29, 2025, and was initially scheduled to be arraigned on January 30. However, the arraignment was postponed to February 3, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Kuje, allowing the EFCC to amend the charges.
On Monday, the EFCC told the court that it has amended the charges against Yusuf, leading to his arraignment before Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Kuje, Abuja
Part of the charges read: “That you, Prof Usman Yusuf sometime between 2016 and 2017 whilst being the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NIS) in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and being a public officer in the Services of National Health Insurance Scheme knowingly held a private interest in the corporate entity known as: Zaramat Global Services Limited, and without due procurement processes, awarded a contract in the sum of N771,428.58 Naira, in favour of Zaramat Global Services Limited for a training programme on Risk Management and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 54 Public Procurement Act, 2007, and punishable under the Section 45 (2) and (3) of the same Act.
“That you, P.of Usman Yusuf sometime between 2016 and 2017 whilst being the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court used your position to confer an undue advantage upon yourself and knowingly acquired a private interest in an entity known as Lubekh Nigeria Limited owned by your nephew, Khalifa Hassan Yusuf, by awarding to him a contract for media and special public relations consultancy in the sum of N17,500.000.00, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2 and punishable under the same Section of the Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Act, 2000.”
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.
Counsel to the defendant, O.I Habeeb, thereafter requested that his client be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the hearing of the bail application.
The trial judge, Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu, however, pointed out that once the defendant was arraigned, he ceased to be in the custody of the EFCC.
She subsequently adjourned the case to February 12, 2025, and ordered that Yusuf be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, pending the hearing of his bail application.
The New Diplomat reports that Yusuf became the executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 after he was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was suspended by the health minister in 2017 and the board of the NHIS in 2018 over alleged corruption and other irregularities in the running of the scheme.
He was thereafter removed as NHIS executive secretary after embarking on an administrative leave in 2019.
