Ogunji Ogunji

Nigerian midwife and healthcare pioneer who revolutionized rural medicine

Ogunji Ogunji (1908-1975) was a Yoruba midwife whose innovative mobile health clinics transformed rural healthcare. Trained at the Ibadan School of Nursing, she developed the first birthing centers in Oyo State using traditional herbal remedies combined with modern practices. Her 1957 report Bringing Health to the Bush led to the WHO Nigeria adopting her methods nationwide. She established the Ogunji Maternal Health Network in 1962, training over 1,200 community health workers. Her 1968 book Midwife of the People remains a standard text in public health education. Ogunji's legacy is celebrated in the UNFPA Nigeria archives.