President Bola Tinubu has been encouraged by the House of Representatives to utilize 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, said 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.
The congressman said that the money saved by eliminating the subsidy will go toward enrolling underprivileged Nigerians in the program.
“NNPC spent N4 trillion ($9.7 billion) on gasoline subsidies in 2022, and N3.6 trillion in the first six months of 2023.
“To cover 5 million people annually at the rate of NI 5,000 per person, it costs about N5 billion,” he added.
Without discussion, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was directed to oversee implementation and oversight.
