Lagos State has concluded the physical interview stage for applicants into the National Health Fellows (NHF) Programme, Cohort 2.0, with 20 fellows selected to support grassroots healthcare delivery across the state.
The two-day exercise, coordinated by the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Desk Coordinating Office, was held at the World Health Organization (WHO) Lagos Office in Ikoyi. It formed part of a nationwide selection process by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in partnership with state ministries of health, to deploy young health professionals across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
The NHF Programme, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is designed to build a new cadre of skilled health system professionals to strengthen service delivery, governance, policy implementation and accountability at sub-national and community levels, in line with ongoing health sector reforms.
In Lagos State, 60 shortlisted candidates—three from each of the 20 local government areas—participated in the final interview stage. One fellow was selected per local government area to ensure equitable spread and impact across the state.
Speaking on the exercise, Dr Oyeyemi Ogunjobi of the SWAp Desk Office, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said the interviews reflected the state’s commitment to developing a capable and future-ready health workforce aligned with national reform priorities. She noted that the NHF Programme provides a platform to identify and nurture young Nigerians with the passion and skills required to contribute to health system planning, governance and service delivery at the grassroots.
According to her, the transparent and merit-driven process assessed candidates on motivation, leadership potential, teamwork, communication skills and ethical values, adding that the selected fellows would significantly support Lagos State’s health priorities under the SWAp framework.
Also speaking, the WHO State Coordinator for Lagos State, Dr Chinenye Okafor, described the quality of candidates interviewed as impressive, noting that they came from diverse professional backgrounds in line with the programme’s vision. She expressed confidence that sustained implementation of the initiative would help build a pipeline of resilient health leaders for Lagos State and the country at large.
On the role of primary healthcare, the Deputy Director of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Kehinde Ososanya, described the NHF Programme as a laudable initiative aimed at grooming young leaders capable of strengthening primary healthcare delivery nationwide. He explained that the fellows would be deployed to local government areas to work with health departments on service delivery, data analysis, community outreach, immunisation, antenatal care and other key maternal and child health services.
The deployment of the 20 National Health Fellows one in each local government area is expected to enhance coordination, service delivery and reform implementation across Lagos State, while contributing to the broader national goal of revitalising Nigeria’s health sector through the SWAp framework.
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