The Lagos State Government on Wednesday graduated the first cohort of the National Health Fellows (NHF) and formally onboarded a new set of fellows as part of efforts to strengthen health leadership, governance, and system performance in the state.
The event, held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Secretariat, Alausa-Ikeja, brought together key stakeholders across federal and state health institutions, development partners, and health professionals to witness the transition from Cohort 1.0 to Cohort 2.0 under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) framework.
Delivering the keynote address, the State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, described the National Health Fellows Programme as a visionary initiative conceptualised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deepen governance experience among young professionals.
He likened the programme to the National Youth Service Corps, noting that it provides a unique opportunity for participants to engage directly with the complexities of governance. “It is easy to criticise government from the outside, but participating within the system reveals that governance is one of the most complex responsibilities in any society,” he said.
Abayomi highlighted the dual realities driving the initiative, including the shortage of human resources for health, worsened by brain drain, and the increasing complexity of healthcare delivery requiring multidisciplinary expertise beyond clinical roles.
The Commissioner commended Cohort 1.0 for their impactful presentations, noting their clarity, data-driven insights, and courage in identifying systemic gaps. He assured them that their findings would be reviewed and potentially presented to the State Executive Council.
In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the National SWAp Coordinator, Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, commended the fellows for their commitment and described the programme as a pipeline for future health leaders.
He urged the fellows to balance idealism with pragmatism, noting that improving health outcomes requires navigating complex realities with evidence-based approaches. “Leadership is a verb, it is defined by what you do with the opportunities you are given,” he said.
Pate also highlighted the competitive nature of the programme, revealing that over 300,000 applications were received for Cohort 1.0, underscoring the calibre of the selected fellows and the programme’s significance within Nigeria’s health reform agenda.
He encouraged Cohort 2.0 to build on the foundation laid by their predecessors, while also extending condolences on the passing of a fellow, Anita, whom he described as a symbol of resilience and service.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr (Mrs) Kemi Ogunyemi, described the onboarding as the deployment of “a reform engine into the heart of the health system,” stressing that the fellows are expected to drive last-mile implementation and accountability.
She charged the new cohort to act as performance accountability agents, ensuring that policies and funding translate into tangible services at the community level, particularly within Primary Health Care Centres.
Ogunyemi emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making, professionalism, and collaboration, noting that the success of health reforms would be measured by outcomes rather than plans.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Dayo Lajide, described the programme as a strategic investment in strengthening health system leadership and bridging the gap between policy and implementation.
She noted that the integration of fellows has already improved programme coordination, performance monitoring, and evidence-based planning within the state’s health sector.
Earlier, the Lagos State Coordinator of the World Health Organisation, Dr Chinyere Okafor, commended the quality of fellows selected, describing the programme as timely given current health system challenges.
She noted that the fellows’ exposure to real-world challenges, including workforce shortages and high out-of-pocket expenditures, positions them as future leaders capable of driving meaningful change.