Falana Tasks Tinubu On Full Implementation Of National Health Insurance Act 2022

Human rights lawyer , Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has challenged the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to fully implement the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act, 2022, to provide compulsory health cover for all Nigerians.

Her made the request when a private organisation, Groove Tyme Entertainment, in collaboration with Meristem, Leadway Assurance and other stakeholders, launched a N1 billion kick-start trust fund for players in the entertainment industry, in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Falana, at the event to launch an insurance initiative for artistes and vulnerable groups in the entertainment sector, said the current system leaves millions vulnerable and turns successful Nigerians into beggars.

He traced Nigeria’s social safety system to the African extended family system, which he said “took care of everybody.

“There’s what we call the African extended family system, where nobody was left in a state of despair. In fact, the Yoruba people say a rich man in the midst of poor people is the head, is the leader of the poor people,” he said.

He, however, blamed colonialism and capitalism for breaking that system, and criticised the ruling class for failing to emulate welfare models in advanced countries.

According to him, the West believes that the bourgeoisie, the capitalists, believe that if we do not prepare for our people, there will be a revolution.

“And you know, these people don’t want revolution. They want to keep their wealth and their resources.

“What the West has done is to have what we call an insurance scheme. If you are poor, the system will take care of you,” he added.

He pointed out that while the National Health Insurance Scheme of 1999 has covered “hardly 10 million Nigerians out of a population of over 200 million,” the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 enacted the National Health Insurance Authority Act, making health insurance compulsory.

“So, what we are therefore going to do, we are going to ask for the rights of the artists that are going to be covered by this programme,” he said.

Falana stressed that the push should not be for charity but for rights.  “It’s not about asking from the government, not asking for charity. We are going to ask for the rights of the artists,” Falana stated.

The lawyer lamented the poor treatment of Nigerian artists and sportsmen after their prime, citing the death of veteran actor, Deji Aderemi, aka Olofa Ina,” from liver cancer last week.

*Why should artists, actors and actresses, successful people, become beggars in society? Why shouldn’t we treat them with dignity?.

“One just passed on, I think, this last week. Deji Aderemi (Olofa Ina). A fantastic actor. Unfortunately, he had liver cancer, which must have been discovered very late.”

He compared the situation to Nigerian footballers who “earned the country a pride of place in the comity of nations all died very wretchedly—almost an embarrassment to all of us who have a conscience.

“History is being made today. We are taking people out of poverty who do not belong there. We want to provide for the future of people, so that they can be treated with dignity.”

Citing the example of asking Fela to write a will in 1996, Falana said Nigerians need more education on insurance.

“When you ask a Nigerian to come and insure his life, he says, ‘I am not dying. Why should I go and insure my life?

“So, part of what you have to do is to educate, and I think the firm working with us has done a bit of that, but we have to do much more to educate people about the value of insurance.”

He also linked the failure of governance to everyday suffering, citing bad roads among others, saying, “The government has enacted a law on insurance to have full insurance for Nigerians. And this organisation and insurance companies that are willing to assist.

“We must sit down and get the government to abide by this law. And that is the only way that you can succeed,” Falana said.

He, however, pledged his support and legal services to the initiative, saying, “I want to thank you for this initiative. I want to pledge my complete loyalty, and I’m willing to provide my legal services. I can assure you that we will not allow anyone to intimidate this organisation.

“We will provide our services free of charge,” he stated.

Falana maintained that if the initiative succeeds in Nigeria, the model “is going to help the continent of Africa” by shifting the focus from relying on government generosity to demanding rights.