Mrs. Julianah Abolaji Banjo (nee Ifanaike) was born on April 16, 1923 to the family of Samson Ifanaike and Mary Osoneye Ifanaike. Her father hailed from Odolameso while her mother was nee Oyenuga from Itamarun. She attended St. Mary’s Anglican Primary School, Ijebu Imusin, between 1930 and 1940. In 1941, she became a Pupil Teacher at St. Stephen African Bethlehem, Asigidi, Ijebu-Igbo.
In 1942, she went further in her quest for education to attend the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode’s Nursing School where she acquired her Nursing and Midwifery Certificate. In 1943, after she completed her training, she was posted to Ijebu Imusin Maternity Centre as a Nurse.
On her assumption of duty in 1943, ante-natal clinics were introduced in Ijebu Imusin and confinement at the Maternity Centre began. She was one of those conscientious and dedicated nurses who cherished her profession. She worked as Senior Midwife at the Maternity Centre from 1943 until her death on October 31, 1971.
During her time at the Maternity Centre, excellent services were rendered to expectant mothers. This was a departure from what obtained in the early days before her arrival when pregnant women had misgivings about the competence of her predecessors and consequently stayed away from the Maternity Centre.
Fondly called ‘Iye Derin’, she was a dedicated worker, a mother of all mothers, and a great believer in the unity of Ijebu Imusin. She was a pacesetter in midwifery and nursing in Ijebu Imusin and was posthumously honoured with the Ijebu Imusin Community Merit Award (ICMA) by Oba Stephen Onafowokan. Mrs. Julianah Abolaji Banjo was married to Pa Samuel Ayodele Banjo of Ijebu-Igbo and they were blessed with five children.
