President Bola Tinubu has been encouraged by the House of Representatives to use the money saved by eliminating gasoline subsidies to sign up Nigerians for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Bashiru Dawodu, a member from Lagos State, had before proposed a similar resolution.
Dawodu, who moved the motion, claimed that just 5 million vulnerable Nigerians had signed up for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which houses the health insurance program.
He asserted that the government should utilize savings from the withdrawal of subsidies since N50 billion could enroll 5 million Nigerians in the program.
You may remember that on May 29, President Tinubu eliminated the fuel subsidy and pledged to use the money in infrastructure, healthcare, and other areas.
The congressman said that the money saved by eliminating the subsidy will go toward enrolling underprivileged Nigerians in the program.
“In 2022, NNPC spent N4 Trillion ($9.7B) on fuel subsidy and N3.6 Trillion in 6 months of 2023.
“It costs about N5 Billion to cover 5 Million persons annually at the rate of NI 5,000 per person,” he said.
The motion was taken without debate and ordered the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to ensure implementation and monitoring.