Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi, (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Akerele, 1910–14 September 1971) was the first female physician practitioner in Nigeria. She was also the first West African woman to earn a license of Royal Surgeon in Dublin. In 1938, Elizabeth Awoliyi became the second

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

n woman to qualify as an orthodox-medicine trained physician after Agnes Yewande Savage who graduated from medical school in 1929. She served as the second President of the

National Council of Women's Societies National Council of Women's Societies, also known by its acronym NCWS, is a Nigerian non-governmental and non-partisan women's organization composed of a network of independent women organizations in Nigeria binding together to use NCWS' platform ...

of Nigeria from 1964 until her death in 1971.

Life

Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi was born in the year 1910, in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, the southwestern part of Nigeria, to an Aguda-origin family and her parents were David Evaristo and Rufina Akerele. The Aguda people are descendants of emancipated

Afro-Brazilians Afro-Brazilians (; ), also known as Black Brazilians (), are Brazilians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most multiracial Brazilians also have a range of degree of African ancestry. Brazilians whose African features are mo ...

and

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

returnees who began arriving in Nigeria from 1830 onwards. She commenced her basic education at St. Mary's Catholic School, Lagos from where she proceeded to

Queen's College, Lagos Queen's College, Lagos, is a government-owned girls' secondary (high) school with boarding facilities, situated in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Often referred to as the "sister college" of King's College, Lagos, it was founded on October 10, 1927, when ...

. Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi earned her medical degree in 1938 from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, Cafreys College. She graduated from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

with first class honors, including a medal in Medicine and distinction in

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

. She became the first West African woman to be awarded a Licentiate of

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a not-for-profit medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It was established in 1784 as the national body ...

, in Dublin. She was a Member of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

(United Kingdom) and the

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...

and a Diplomate of the

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of pa ...

. Awoliyi returned to Nigeria and became a gynaecologist and junior medical officer at the Massey Street Hospital Lagos. She later became a chief consultant and medical director at that hospital, holding the latter position from 1960 through 1969. In 1962, she was appointed as a senior specialist gynaecologist and obstetrician by the Federal Ministry of Health. Some of her awards are

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE), Iya Abiye of Lagos, Iyalaje of Oyo Empire, and Nigerian National Honor – Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). The novel ''Return to Life'', by her son Tunji Awoliyi, is dedicated to her. Awoliyi is included as a "Nigerian Heroine of the 20th Century" in the book ''Nigerian Heroes and Heroines: and other issues in

citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...

education'', by Godwin Chukwuemeka Ezeh. The Dr. Abimbola Awoliyi Memorial Hospital is located in

Lagos Island Lagos Island () is the principal and central Local government areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos, Nigeria. It was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian ce ...

, Lagos, Nigeria. Awoliyi owned a 27-acre poultry and orange farm in

Agege Agege is a large city and local government area in the Ikeja Division of Lagos State, Nigeria. Until 1927, Agege was the capital of Ikeja Division. Etymology Agege is an ancient Awori city of Otta dynasty founded by Aige. It was initia ...

, Lagos, and became director of the commercial medical store in Lagos.

NCWS

Awoliyi was the pioneer president of the Lagos branch of the

(NCWS) and a member of the national committee of the organization and she contributed to their policies and activities. She negotiated for the gift of a national headquarters located at

Tafawa Balewa Square The Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) is a ceremonial ground (originally called "Race Course") in Lagos Island, Lagos. History Lagos Race Course now TBS, was a sports field that hosted horse racing, but included a section for football and ground t ...

and was a consultant to the organization's family planning clinic which later became the planned parenthood federation of Nigeria. She succeeded Kofo Ademola as the second president of the NCWS in 1964.

Leadership and philanthropy

Source: * She was the first president of the Holy Cross Parish Women Council at the Holy Cross Cathedral in Lagos * Motherless Babies Home Governing Council * Business and Professional Women's Association (president) * Child Care Voluntary Association (President) * Lagos Colony Red Cross * National Council of Women's Societies (Also became the first President of the Lagos branch)

Personal life

Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi was married to fellow physician Dr. S. O. Awoliyi and had two children; a son and a daughter. Her husband died in 1965. Dr Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi died on 14 September 1971 at the age of 61.

Awards and honours

* Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) * Iya Abiye of Lagos * Iyalaje of Oyo * Nigerian National Honor – Officer of the

Order of the Federal Republic The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger. The highest honours are the Grand Commander in the Order of the Fede ...

(OFR)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Awoliyi, Elizabeth Abimbola 1910 births 1971 deaths Nigerian gynaecologists Women gynaecologists Nigerian women medical doctors 20th-century Nigerian medical doctors Physicians from Lagos Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Queen's College, Lagos alumni People from colonial Nigeria Members of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of the Niger History of women in Lagos 20th-century Nigerian women 20th-century women physicians Nigerian Roman Catholics Nigerian people of Brazilian descent First women physicians