Four Months After “You Are Hired” Promise, 774 National Health Fellows Plead with Tinubu Over Delayed Civil Service Employment 🩺

Members of the 774 National Health Fellows (Cohort 1.0) have sent an urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling on him to intervene and order the immediate issuance of their Federal Civil Service appointment letters—four months after formal approval for their absorption was communicated [cite: “774 National Health Fellows”, 2.1.1, 2.1.4].

The appeal was contained in an official letter dated October 29, 2026, issued under the auspices of the National Health Fellows Alumni Association of Nigeria and addressed to the President through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Signed by the association’s Pioneer National President-elect, Joshua Amuofu, and Pioneer National General Secretary-elect, Alao Toheeb, the fellows expressed deep frustration over bureaucratic delays that have left their professional lives in limbo.

“We Are Not Asking for a New Promise, But Fulfilment”

The prolonged delay comes nearly 20 months after President Tinubu publicly announced their automatic employment during the launch of the National Health Fellowship Programme at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, famously telling the cohort: “You are hired.”

Although formal approval for their immediate absorption into the civil service was communicated in June 2026, four months have passed without any appointment letters being issued.

In their letter, the fellows outlined the human cost of the administrative bottleneck:

• Career Sacrifice: Believing in the presidential directive, many fellows resigned from previous jobs, turned down lucrative alternative offers, and spent personal savings while awaiting deployment.
• Rising Frustration: The continuous administrative delays and unresolved procedures are gradually eroding the trust and hope built when the program was launched.

“Your Excellency, we are not asking for a new promise, but for the fulfilment of an approval already granted. Four months after that directive, we are yet to be engaged or offered employment, while the process continues to be delayed by administrative explanations,” the association stated.

Call for Presidential Executive Action

To resolve the impasse, the association urged President Tinubu to issue a definitive Executive Order or presidential directive compelling relevant ministries, departments, and agencies—including the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC)—to expedite the onboarding process.

The 774 fellows were rigorously selected from every local government area across Nigeria out of more than 360,000 applicants under a flagship Federal Ministry of Health initiative led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, aimed at boosting primary healthcare delivery nationwide.

The fellows reaffirmed their readiness to deploy their skills to strengthen Nigeria’s health system as soon as their formal engagement is finalized.