Grace Oyelude

Grace Atinuke Oyelude, born in 1931 in Sabon Gari, Kano, Nigeria, is a retired registered nurse, midwife and hospital administrator who first became widely known as the winner of the inaugural Miss Nigeria contest in 1957. She used her prize money to travel to England and enrol in nursing school in Kent, qualifying as a nurse in 1961 and gaining a midwifery qualification in 1962 after training at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Later study at the Royal College of Nursing led to a diploma in nursing and hospital administration. Back in Nigeria she worked at Kaduna General Hospital, was senior nursing sister in charge of the Kaduna Nursing Home from 1965 to 1977, and during the Nigerian Civil War led a team preparing hospitals to receive casualties. She later served as senior matron and director of nursing services at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital until 1985, acted as an external examiner for the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, and chaired the Kwara State Health Management Board from 1980 to 1983.