By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has asked the Federal Government to triple its number of National Health Fellows, stressing that the current allocation is insufficient to meet the primary healthcare needs of Abuja’s rapidly growing population.
Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, who spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the interviews for the second cohort of the National Health Fellows in Abuja, said the increase would help the FCT deliver its primary health care mandate.
Fasawe while applauding the federal government initiative, said it has strengthened the territory’s health system through improved data management, manpower support, and service delivery at the grassroots.
“With 2026, we are hoping and believing that we will get more health fellows, get more human resource, because personnel, human resource in health right now is something we are worried about. The whole government is worried about it, and when we have initiatives like this, it gladdens our hearts because it supports our system,” Fasawe said.
“Whilst we’re thankful to the President, the Minister of Health, even the FCT Minister, for giving us a smooth playing ground, we also want to use this opportunity to say that we need more. We need more human resources in health to help us deliver our mandates in primary health care.”
Fasawe highlighted the fellows’ role in making health planning more efficient through effective data collection and usage. “Health fellows have helped us tremendously in all our projects. They have made data collection, uploading, transmission and feedback more fluid and more efficient in the FCT,” she said.
She explained that the programme has enabled task shifting, with fellows now handling responsibilities that would normally require doctors, matrons, or senior supervisors. “We now know what more they can do. Some of the tasks we used to wait for doctors or senior officers to do are now being allocated to the fellows,” Fasawe noted.
According to her, the fellows undergo intensive training and are deliberately selected from within the communities they serve. “They know the terrain, the language and the health-seeking behaviour of the people. That has helped us achieve better results,” she added.
While supporting Fasawe’s call for expansion, Permanent Secretary of the secretariat, Dr. Babagana Adam, said six fellows, one per area council, was insufficient to cover the territory’s 62 wards.
“The FCT is disadvantaged with only six fellows. Abuja Municipal Area Council alone is vast in land and population. Six fellows cannot adequately cover our 62 wards,” Adam said.
He revealed that the FCT is pushing for the programme to be expanded to at least 18 fellows to ensure better coverage and impact. “We believe in this programme. That is why we are asking for more fellows to serve the people better,” he said.
Adams also highlighted progress in upgrading primary healthcare centres, noting that the FCT has over 300 PHCs across its six area councils, with ongoing improvements under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. On health insurance, he said the FCT has exceeded its target, enrolling over 36,000 residents instead of the projected 25,000.
Earlier, the Acting Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. Teresa Ekaete Nwachukwu, said the programme was designed to groom young leaders for primary healthcare.
Nwachukwu, who is also the FCT’s Sector-wide Approach, SWAP, Desk Officer, emphasised the transparency of the selection process, noting that candidates do not require political connections or godfathers to succeed.
“For each local government, one fellow will eventually be selected. In the FCT, we have six area councils, so six fellows will emerge from 18 shortlisted candidates,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization Team Lead for Health Systems and Services, Dr. Mary Brentwell, said the selection process for the National Health Fellows is transparent and credible. “We are here as observers. The panel is balanced, the questions are fair and the candidates have diverse skill sets that can contribute meaningfully to the health sector,” she said.
One of the candidates, Saidu Bello Karshi from Abuja Municipal Area Council, described the interview as seamless and expressed optimism about emerging successful.
The interviews in Abuja is part of a nationwide exercise to select the second batch of National Health Fellows aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery, especially at the primary level.
