The federal government has released the full list of 774 National Health Fellows selected from across the country, marking a significant step in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s health system through young professionals drawn from local communities.
The announcement was made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate, who said the selection followed a deliberate nationwide structure designed to ensure fair representation and local impact. According to him, each Fellow was selected from a specific Local Government Area, reflecting a commitment to identify, nurture and return sons and daughters of the soil to their communities of origin.
Pate explained that the programme draws young and emerging professionals from their local contexts and places them back within their communities to learn, serve and support health system transformation at the grassroots level, where health outcomes are most directly shaped.
He stressed that selection into the National Health Fellows programme is not merely an honour but an assignment. Fellows are expected to engage with real health system challenges, improve coordination, strengthen processes and support service delivery, while learning the discipline and responsibility that come with measurable impact.
The minister added that Fellows are deployed to environments that allow them to grow under supervision, guidance and accountability, enabling them to build confidence, competence and integrity over time.
He noted that the nationwide placement of one Fellow in each Local Government Area reflects a reform philosophy anchored on the belief that excellence exists across the country and that sustainable reform is strongest when driven by local ownership. By investing in individuals who belong to the communities they serve, the programme aims to deepen trust and ensure continuity within local health systems.
The selected Fellows cut across states including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, the Federal Capital Territory, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
Pate congratulated the newly selected cohort, as well as their families and communities, on behalf of the leadership of the health sector and the implementing team, expressing confidence that the Fellows would contribute meaningfully to strengthening health service delivery across Nigeria.
