By Daniel Tyokua
The Mandate Secretary of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Health and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, has said more national health fellows are needed to strengthen data planning and service delivery at the primary healthcare level.
Fasawe made the statement during a second cohort programme in Abuja, on Monday.
She said the first cohort of health fellows had played a critical role in improving data collection, uploading, feedback, and evidence-based decision-making across FCT health projects.
In addition, Fasawe said the fellows have enabled effective task shifting, taking on responsibilities traditionally handled by senior health professionals, following intensive training, exposure, and education tailored to the local terrain and health-seeking behaviour of communities.
According to her, insisting on fellows being residents of their respective area councils has strengthened community trust, communication, and programme acceptance, adding that the initiative supports the FCT’s overstretched human resource base in the health sector.
She said, “The health fellows have constantly made data collection, not only collection, uploading, sending it to the right place and getting response back. They have made that more efficient in FCT”
“We insisted that all the people that will support our health systems here must be residents of here, so that they know the terrain, they know the language, they know the health-seeking behaviour.”
Adedolapo stressed that the 2026 intake would bring more fellows into the system, describing the programme as a timely intervention in addressing Nigeria’s human resource for health challenges, while calling for measurable and verifiable indicators to assess impact.
The Permanent Secretary, FCT Health Secretariat, Dr. Babagana Adam described the programme as already impactful, but lamented inadequate numbers for the FCT, noting that six fellows, one per area council, are insufficient for a territory spanning over 8,000 square kilometres with 62 wards.
He appealed for an increase from six to at least 18 fellows, arguing that Abuja Municipal Area Council alone requires multiple fellows due to its population size and geographic spread, while reaffirming FCT’s confidence in the National Health Fellows initiative.
“For us in the FCT, we are still calling for an increase from six to a higher number because the system as we have it now, the number of fellows is the number of area councils you have.Honestly, if we can have like trice or double, it will help us. Now we have six, we can have 18.” Said Adam
