Grace Atinuke Oyelude: Everything to know about the first-ever Miss Nigeria
Grace Atinuke Oyelude, on Tuesday, November 16th 2021, celebrated her 90 years birthday, with her photos going viral on social media.
Since then, many Nigerians have been wondering who Grace Atinuke Oyelude is. Well, she is the first-ever Miss Nigeria who was crowned in 1957, which was three years before Nigerian gained independence from the British colonial masters.
Grace Atinuke Oyelude became the crown queen by defeating over 200 Nigerian girls who participated in the pageant. The former beauty queen at one point revealed she became Miss Nigeria by accident.
This is because her brother who was a broadcaster in Lagos registered her for beauty pageant without her knowledge.
To know more about Grace Atinuke Oyelude, continue reading this article.
Profile Summary
| Full name | Grace Atinuke Oyelude |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 16th November 1931 |
| Age | 90 years old in 2021 |
| Place of birth | Sabon Gari, Kano |
| State of Origin | Osun state |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Known as | The first Miss Nigeria in 1957 |
| Profession | Nurse, Mid-wife, Hospital administrator |
Grace Oyelude’s biography
Her full name is Grace Atinuke Oyelude, and she was born on the 16th of November 1931 to James Adeleye Olude and Marthan Dantu of Isanlu from Kogi State.
Grace Oyelude was raised in the Northern part of the country, but their are claims her state of Origin is in Oluponna, a place in Osun state, in the western of Nigeria.
The former beauty queen is a Nigerian by birth and celebrated her 90th birthday in November 2021.
Education
Grace Oyelude had her primary and secondary education between 1940 and 1952 in Kano. After which, she proceeded to the school of nursing Ashford Kent, England and became a registered nurse in 1961.
In 1962, she became a registered midwife SCM after she enrolled at the school of midwifery, St. Thomas Hospital, London.
Grace Oyelude also went to the Royal College of Nursing, England, in 1971, where she bagged a Diploma in Nursing and Hospital Administration. She also holds a diploma from the Ghana Institute of Management and Personnel Administration.
Career
Grace Oyelude practised Nursing in the UK between 1962 and 1963, and one of the popular hospitals she worked at was Paddington General Hospital.
She would later return to Nigeria, where she took up an offer in Kaduna General Hospital between 1964 and 1965. Grace Oyelude was the senior nursing sister-in-charge of the former Kaduna Nursing home now known as Barau Dike specialist hospital, Kaduna.
Back in the 1970s when Nigeri was at civil war, Grace Oyelude was sent to Makurdi General Hospital, where she was in charge of a medical team from the then northern region.
Grace Oyelude was made senior matron and director of nursing services at Ahmadu Bello University’s teaching hospital in the 1970s and willingly retired from the post in 1985.
Personal Life
There are no details of who Grace Oyelude’s husband was, but she is a grandmother with numerous grandchildren.
