Nigeria’s Firsts In The Medical Profession
First Nigerian Medical Doctors From All Regions In Nigeria
Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth has over the years produced brilliant minds in the field of Medicine. This article is about the first Nigerian Medical doctors from the North, East and West of the country.
Below are the first Nigerian Medical Doctors ever:
1. First Nigerian Medical Doctor From The North:
The first Nigerian Medical Doctor from Northern Nigeria was Dr. R. A. B. Dikko (1912-1977). He was born in Zaria, Kaduna state. He attended King’s College, Lagos and the University of Birmingham, UK. Dr. Dikko we a founding member of Jamiyar Mutanen Arewa, a socio-cultural organization which later became a component of the then Northern People’s Congress (NPC), the ruling party in the second Republic.
Having worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Health, he later rose to become the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in 1960, and in 1967, he became Federal Commissioner (Minister) for mines and power, and later the Federal Commissioner for transport in 1971 during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon.
Dr. Dikko was married to Comfort Miller, the daughter of Walter Miller, the Christian missionary who tutored him.
2. First Nigerian Medical Doctor From The East:
The first Nigerian Medical Doctor from Eastern Nigeria was Dr. Onwu from Afa, Udi, Enugu State. Little is known of him. After him came the likes of Dr. Okonkwo from Ufuma, Orumba, Anambra State and the most popular of them was Dr. Akanu Ibiam who was born in Afikpo, Ebonyi State on March 29, 1906. He attended the University of St. Andrews, Scotland and graduated in 1934. He later became Governor of the old Eastern Region.
3. First Nigerian Medical Doctor From The West:
The first Nigerian Medical doctor from Western Nigeria was Dr. Nathaniel King, born on March 14, 1847 in Hastings, Sierra Leone to the family of Reverend Thomas King who worked with Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther to translate some cathecism books and some portions of the English Bible into Nigerian languages. Dr. King graduated at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1875.
Having returned to Lagos in 1878, he resumed work at the Church Missionary Society (CMS) where he was paid £50 yearly until in March 1882 when his yearly salary was increased to £75.
He died on March 12, 1884.
