Tinubu trying to stifle dissent, turn Nigeria into one-party country – Former NHIS boss

By Biola Adebayo On Apr 27, 2025

Fraud, Court ,NHIS, EFCC, Kuje , Bola Tinubu, Usman Yusuf, — Prof.-Usman-Yusuf

Former Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of suppressing dissent and silencing critics.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was part of a deliberate attempt to silence him. “This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he said.

In February, the EFCC arraigned Yusuf before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty.

Recounting the events that led to his detention, Yusuf said EFCC operatives stormed his home on 29 January without presenting an arrest warrant. “They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he said.

He described how the operatives prevented him from changing clothes and blocked his wife from providing him with alternative clothing. Yusuf also recounted how, during transport, officers treated him “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a notorious bandit leader.

Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody before his arraignment and was subsequently denied bail, a move he said was unconstitutional. “Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he said.

The denial of bail forced Yusuf to spend an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison. He characterised his imprisonment as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting it only strengthened his spirit.

“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf said. “This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”

“The whole purpose was the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu trying to silence any form of dissent.

“Criticising a government in a democracy is the legitimate right of every citizen. But now, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is trying to stifle dissent and turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorial state. We are not going to let that happen.”

Yusuf was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 by the health minister and the NHIS board over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.