Nigeria aiming to be among 16 largest economies – Osinbajo  

Nigeria’s acting president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the country “is fast moving toward becoming one of the 16 largest economies in the world.”
Osinbajo made the statement on Tuesday at the palace of the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, as part of his one-day visit to Zamfara.
He said the target could be achieved through unity and hardwork by Nigerians. Osinbajo said the unity of Nigerians was paramount to the economic growth of the country.
He said: “Our diversity as a people united is also our potential to transform our large deposits of mineral resources and use same for national development.”
The acting president the commended the effort of security agencies in the country in maintaining law and order.
While receiving the acting president, Bello thanked him for accepting all invitations to the state, adding: “You are now a son of the soil.”
The emir commended the Federal Government for deploying security men to maintain peace in Zamfara.
He said since the deployment gunmen attacks, cattle rustling and kidnapping which threatened communities had become history.
The acting president was accompanied on the visit by the governors of Kebbi and Sokoto states, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu and Aminu Tambuwal respectively.

NHIS boss ran agency like his private enterprise-HMCAN

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The National Publicity Secretary, Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria, Mr. Lekan Ewenla, has said that the suspended National Health Insurance Scheme boss, Prof. Usman Yusuf, ran activities at the agency as if it was his private business.

Ewenla, who spoke to our correspondent in Lagos on Tuesday, also faulted the appointment of Yusuf as the Executive Secretary.

According to him, the NHIS boss did not understand the operations and the regulatory functions of the scheme.

“Before now, a lot of petitions had been written about the attitude and conduct of the scheme since the Executive Secretary took over last year. He was going to distort the operations of the NHIS for the public sector.

“He ran NHIS like his private enterprise. He didn’t have the power to award contracts worth more than N2.5m but because there was no governing council, he went beyond that figure.

“Many of the issues were not clear to him. He was going to remove HMOs and focus on paying hospitals instead of regulating the scheme.”

Ewenla, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, Ultimate Health Management Services Limited, said the fact that Yusuf was not the only executive secretary to be saddled with allegations of corruption at the agency showed that the NHIS was facing fundamental operational problems.

To correct the anomalies bedevilling the scheme, he noted that the Federal Government must remove the NHIS as the managers of the scheme’s fund; establish a National Health Commission, create the National Health Fund while also making health insurance compulsory for all.

“Government needs to take health sector appointments off the political radar. Do interviews with experts on the field and listen to professional recommendations before you choose a head.

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