Yohanna Kusau: The Quiet Health Worker Champion Transforming Primary Healthcare in Nigeria's FCT

In Kabusa, a small emerging town in the nation's capital, Mr. Yohanna Kusau is a radiating representation of what dedicated service looks like in practice.

Yohanna Kusau is a 2026 PHC Champion recognised under the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency's KNOW. TRUST. GO. Campaign. PHC Champions are identified through community nominations and patient feedback data, validated by Ward Development Committees and facility-level evidence. They are ordinary health workers doing extraordinary work.

His recognition comes at a time when Nigeria's primary healthcare system remains under intense strain. Primary Healthcare Centres serve as the starting point for many families, where they first receive diagnoses of illnesses and find reassurance during uncertain times. However, the character and commitment of frontline health workers often bridge the care gap and determine the experience of patients at these PHCs, even in a system that is under immense strain from being understaffed, under-resourced and facing low trust.

Born in 1974 in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Yohanna had always wanted to be a medical doctor, but life had other plans. He wrote the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination three times before passing it and proceeding to study journalism on a short course at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. However, his path eventually led him to the College of Health Technology in Kaduna, where he trained between 1996 and 1999.

Like many graduates at the time, he faced uncertainty in securing employment. He applied to multiple institutions, but opportunities did not materialize immediately. Rather than remain idle, he started a small pharmacy business, using it not only as a source of income but also as an opportunity to stay connected to the healthcare ecosystem within his community.

In December 2025, the PAC4PHC project team conducted a community engagement visit to Toga Sarki in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), FCT. During the visit, residents repeatedly spoke with enthusiasm about a health worker whose presence had significantly improved service delivery at the facility.

In 2016, he was transferred to Pyakasa in FCT and spent nine years at the community before being transferred to Toga Sarki in February 2025, where we first encountered him. In January 2026, he was transferred to Kabusa.

When asked about what Yohanna Kusau contributed to each facility he was posted to, colleagues and community members consistently described qualities that go beyond formal job descriptions.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Kusau's story is his relentless commitment to self-improvement, even as a working health professional with a family to support.

In 2012, four years into his posting, Yohanna Kusau went back to ABU, Zaria, for a diploma in community health service. He enrolled at the National Open University of Nigeria in 2017 and graduated with a B.Sc. in Public Health in 2023 at age forty-nine.

He looked mildly surprised when asked why he was constantly going back to school. "Because my patients deserve a health worker who is still learning and growing. The day I stop learning is the day I start failing them, and I don't want to be that person," he answered.

The Policy, Advocacy and Communications for Primary Healthcare (PAC4PHC) project aims to utilise strategic communication, citizen co-creation, and advocacy to build public trust in the primary healthcare sector in Nigeria.

Kusau's recognition as a 2026 PHC Champion under the KNOW. TRUST. GO. Campaign is designed not only to honour exceptional health workers but also to inspire communities across the country to trust and utilise their nearest primary healthcare centre.

PHC Champions are in your community. They deserve your trust and your visit.

Kusau's story is a powerful reminder that Nigeria's healthcare system, despite its well-documented challenges, is sustained in large part by the invisible dedication of frontline workers who show up every day in under-resourced facilities and find ways to make a difference for the people who need them most.

His journey from a young man who struggled to pass his school certificate exams to a nationally recognised champion of primary healthcare , is the kind of story that Nigeria's health sector needs more of, both to attract committed professionals and to rebuild the public trust that is essential for any healthcare system to function effectively.

As the Federal Government continues to pursue the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and other primary healthcare strengthening initiatives, the example set by health workers like Yohanna Kusau provides a compelling argument for why investment in people — in training, recognition, and professional development — must sit at the heart of Nigeria's healthcare reform agenda.