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By Doris Obinna
Lagos State hosted the physical interviews for applicants into the National Health Fellows (NHF) Programme, Cohort 2.0, as federal and state institutions intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s health system through strategic human capital development.
The two-day interview exercise, held on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13, 2026 at the World Health Organization (WHO) Lagos Office on Osborne Road, Ikoyi, was coordinated through the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) Desk Coordinating Office. It formed part of a nationwide selection process to identify young professionals to be deployed across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
The NHF Programme, approved by President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, is designed to build a new cadre of skilled health system professionals to support service delivery, governance, policy implementation and accountability at sub-national and grassroots 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. At the end of the process, 20 fellows, one per local government area, are expected to be selected 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 building a capable and future-ready health workforce aligned with national reform priorities. She explained that the NHF Programme provides a platform to identify and nurture young Nigerians who are passionate about public service and equipped to contribute to health system planning, governance and service delivery at the grassroots.
According to her, the transparent and merit-based process assessed candidates on motivation, leadership potential, teamwork, communication skills and ethical values. She added that the final selection of 20 fellows would significantly support Lagos State’s health priorities within the SWAp framework.
The WHO State Coordinator for Lagos State, Dr. Chinenye Okafor, described the quality of candidates interviewed as impressive, noting that participants came from diverse professional backgrounds in line with the vision of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate. She said the candidates demonstrated strong commitment and competence, expressing confidence that the programme would help build a pipeline of resilient health leaders if sustained.
Okafor commended the collaboration between the federal government and Lagos state, describing Lagos as a trailblazer in health sector reforms. She expressed optimism that the selected fellows would help the state sustain its leadership position in health sector innovation and performance.
From the regulatory and financing perspective, Deputy General Manager, Lagos Zonal Office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Abraham Bethuel-Kasimu, said the interview process was objective, transparent and technologically driven. He explained that candidates were assessed using a real-time online scoring portal that eliminated bias and ensured that no single panelist could influence the final outcome.
Bethuel-Kasimu added that all candidates were given equal opportunity to be interviewed and that the depth of the questions was designed to test their readiness for deployment and real-world assignments at the local government level.
Also, Deputy Director, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Kehinde Ososanya, described the NHF Programme as a laudable federal initiative aimed at grooming young leaders capable of influencing primary healthcare delivery nationwide. He said selected fellows would be deployed to local government areas to work closely with health departments, supporting service delivery, data analysis, community outreach, immunisation, antenatal care and other critical 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, the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, academia and community-based organisations, with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and NHIA serving as observers.
Each candidate underwent credential verification, self-introduction and structured assessment based on predefined criteria, including motivation, leadership, collaboration, ethics and integrity, ensuring uniformity and fairness throughout the process.
The final selection of 20 National Health Fellows, one per local government area, is expected to strengthen health system coordination, service delivery and reform implementation across Lagos State, while contributing to the broader national objective of revitalising Nigeria’s health sector through the SWAp framework.
