The Federal Government, in partnership with the World Health Organisation, has selected 13 health workers from Nasarawa State as National Health Fellows, tasking them with driving reforms and strengthening primary healthcare systems across all local government areas of the state.
The fellows emerged from a highly competitive national process under the National Health Fellows 2.0 Programme, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare designed to place one trained health fellow in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. The programme aims to deepen health sector reforms, improve planning and coordination, and ensure that essential services reach communities at the grassroots.
In Nasarawa, three shortlisted candidates from each of the state’s 13 local government areas were invited to a final round of physical interviews held at the State Ministry of Health in Lafia. From this pool, one fellow per local government area was selected, bringing the total number of successful candidates in the state to 13.
The Sector-Wide Approach Desk Officer in Nasarawa State, Annah Joshua, explained that the process was deliberately designed to be rigorous and transparent. She noted that the final interviews were conducted by a broad-based panel of stakeholders drawn from multiple institutions and professional backgrounds.
Joshua, represented at the close of the exercise by a member of the selection committee, the Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Science at the Federal University of Lafia, Dr. Ahmed Rabiu, said the panel included representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation, traditional rulers, academics and experienced health professionals.
According to her, this mix of perspectives was intended to ensure that the fellows selected were not only technically competent but also grounded in the realities of the communities they will serve.
She described the assessment as merit-based, stressing that candidates were evaluated on their knowledge, problem-solving skills, commitment to public service and understanding of local health challenges. The process, she said, was designed to identify individuals capable of supporting evidence-based planning and implementation at the local level.
“It was a rigorous, transparent and merit-based assessment of all shortlisted candidates,” she said, adding that the fellows are expected to become key drivers of reform within their local government areas.
Joshua explained that the successful fellows will support local health authorities in planning, data use, community engagement and the rollout of priority interventions. Their work will cut across areas such as maternal and child health, immunisation, disease surveillance, health promotion and access to essential services.
“Successful candidates are expected to play strategic roles in evidence-based planning, community engagement and the implementation of priority health interventions within their respective local government areas,” she said.
The National Health Fellows 2.0 initiative is part of a broader effort by the Federal Ministry of Health and its partners to strengthen primary healthcare and accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. By placing trained fellows at the local level, the programme seeks to bridge gaps between policy and implementation, and to ensure that reforms translate into tangible improvements in service delivery.
Joshua emphasised that the programme is not limited to traditional health professionals. Instead, it targets young Nigerians from diverse academic and professional backgrounds who can bring fresh perspectives and skills into the health sector.
“The National Health Fellows is a programme by the Ministry of Health. It tries to locate young people, not really people within a particular health sector, but young people who can bring their work experience to the health sector, so that it will be strengthened,” she said.
However, she stressed that community ownership and local presence are central to the design of the initiative. Fellows are expected to live and work within the communities they serve, rather than being posted from distant locations.
“The most important thing is that it has to be within the community. You don’t take someone from another state and bring them here. Even if you are from another state, we want to make sure that you are somebody who is staying within the community so that your contribution will be felt by the whole community,” she explained.
Joshua described the programme as “laudable” and noted that the current cohort is the second set of fellows to be recruited. She said the first cohort had already demonstrated the value of embedding skilled young professionals within local health systems, and urged more young people to take advantage of future opportunities.
Beyond the selection process, the programme includes a structured mentoring component. Each fellow will be paired with experienced mentors who will guide them through the complexities of health systems strengthening, local governance and community engagement.
“We encourage young people to participate as an opportunity so that they will learn. Because apart from this screening, they also have mentors that will take them through so that they will really understand how healthcare will be strengthened,” she added.
