Lagos was at the centre of Nigeria’s healthcare reform drive this week as it hosted the National Health Fellows (NHF) Cohort 2.0 interviews, a key step in building the next generation of health system leaders for grassroots service delivery.
The two-day exercise, held from Tuesday to Wednesday at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Lagos Office, Ikoyi, was coordinated by the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) Desk and jointly driven by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in partnership with the Lagos State Government. It formed part of a nationwide selection process to deploy young professionals across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The NHF Programme, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is designed to develop a new cadre of skilled health professionals to support 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 LGAs— participated in the final interview stage, with the goal of selecting one National Health Fellow per LGA to ensure equity and statewide impact.
Speaking on the exercise, Dr. Oyeyemi Ogunjobi of the SWAp Desk, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said the interviews reflected the state’s commitment to building a future-ready health workforce aligned with national reform priorities. She noted that the programme provides a platform to identify and nurture young Nigerians passionate about public service and equipped to contribute meaningfully to health system planning, governance and service delivery at the grassroots.
According to her, the transparent, merit-based process assessed candidates on motivation, leadership potential, teamwork, communication skills and ethical values, adding that the eventual selection of 20 fellows would significantly support Lagos State’s health priorities under the SWAp framework.
The WHO State Coordinator for Lagos State, Dr. Chinenye Okafor, described the calibre of candidates as impressive, noting their diverse professional backgrounds in line with the vision of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. She expressed confidence that sustained implementation of the programme would help build a resilient pipeline of health leaders for Lagos and Nigeria.
From a regulatory and financing standpoint, the Deputy General Manager, Lagos Zonal Office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Abraham Bethuel-Kasimu, said the process was objective, transparent and technology-driven. He explained that a real-time online scoring portal was used to eliminate bias and ensure fairness, with no single panelist able to influence outcomes.
On primary healthcare delivery, Dr. Kehinde Ososanya, Deputy Director at the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, described the NHF Programme as a laudable federal initiative aimed at grooming young leaders capable of strengthening primary healthcare nationwide. He noted that selected fellows would support LGAs in service delivery, data analysis, community outreach, immunisation, antenatal care and other maternal and child health services.
The interviews were conducted by a seven-member multi-sectoral panel comprising representatives of WHO, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, ALGON, academia and community-based organisations, with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and NHIA serving as observers.
The final selection of 20 National Health Fellows—one per LGA—is expected to boost health system coordination, improve service delivery, and accelerate reform implementation across Lagos State, contributing to Nigeria’s broader health sector revitalisation under the SWAp framework.
