Toyin Ojora-Saraki LLB, LLM, BL, (born 6 September 1964) is a global health advocate, healthcare philanthropist and the Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa.

Early life and education

Toyin Saraki was born into the Ojora and Adele royal families of

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria, as the daughter of the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

Oloye Oba means ″ruler″ in the Yoruba and Bini languages of West Africa. Kings in Yorubaland, a region which is in the modern republics of Benin, Nigeria and Togo, make use of it as a pre-nominal honorific. Examples of Yoruba bearers include Oba ...

Adekunle Ojora Chief Adekunle Ojora (born 1932) is a Nigerian business executive who was chairman of the board of AGIP Nigeria Limited from 1971 until it was acquired by Unipetrol in 2002. He began a career as a journalist with BBC in the early 1950s, in 1962 ...

, the Otunba of Lagos, and granddaughter of

Omoba Oba means ″ruler″ in the Yoruba language, Yoruba and Bini languages of West Africa. Kings in Yorubaland, a region which is in the modern republics of Benin, Nigeria and Togo, make use of it as a pre-nominal honorific. Examples of Yoruba beare ...

Abdulaziz Ojora, the Olori Omo-Oba of Lagos. On her maternal side, she is the daughter of the Erelu Oodua, Iyaloye Ojuolape Ojora (nee Akinfe), and granddaughter of Iyaloye Sabainah Akinkugbe, who was also herself a chieftess. The Akinfes are a titled family of industrialists from Ondo State. She had her elementary education at St Saviour's School, Ikoyi, Lagos, and Holy Child College Lagos, after which she went to the United Kingdom and attended

Roedean School Roedean School is an independent day and boarding school founded in 1885 in Roedean Village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, England, and governed by Royal Charter. It is for girls aged 11 to 18. The campus is situated near the Sus ...

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. She achieved her L.L.B degree in Law from the

London School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

and her L.L.M in International Economic Law from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, both of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. She returned to Nigeria and was called to the

Nigerian Bar The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is a non-profit, umbrella professional association of all lawyers admitted to the bar in Nigeria. It is engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights, the rule of law and good governance in Nigeria. T ...

in 1989.

Charity and philanthropy

As Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), Mrs Toyin Saraki is a Nigerian philanthropist with two decades of advocacy covering maternal, newborn and child health, gender-based discrimination and violence, improving education, socio-economic empowerment and community livelihoods in Africa. She is a global health advocate of Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria, reducing the rate of maternal and infant mortality. She also launched a social media campaigns through Wellbeing Foundation Africa called #MaternalMonday in 2012, and #WASHWednesday, #ThriveThursday and #FrontlineFriday in 2018, to raise awareness on key issues in women children and adolescents health and nutrition, gender equality, water sanitation and hygiene, and frontline healthworkers. in Africa. She contributed to the establishment of the Lifestream Charity in 1993 and is an advocate of the United Nations Every Woman Every Child campaign. She is on the board of the Global Foundation for the Elimination of Domestic Violence and the board of the Africa Justice Foundation. Saraki was appointed to the International Steering Council of ICPD25 in 2019, is a Board Observer to the WHO Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health PMNCH, and is also a Special Advisor to the WHO Africa Regional Office, Newborn Champion for

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

Nigeria, Universal Health Coverage Champion by Devex, United Nations Population Fund UNFPA Family Planning Champion, White Ribbon Alliance Global Champion, and was appointed the Inaugural Global Goodwill Ambassador to the

International Confederation of Midwives The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) supports, represents and works to strengthen professional associations of midwives on a global basis. At present, ICM has over 100 members, representing midwifery associations in around 100 countrie ...

in 2014.

Personal life

As the hereditary Princess Royal of the Ijora Kingdom and Iganmu Lands, Lagos, and the Yon Sabuke of Kaiama Kingdom, Kwara, she was installed as th
Erelu Bobajiro
of Iru Land, Lagos, in June 2021. She is married to Senator Bukola Saraki, a former president of the Nigerian Senate who holds the title of the Waziri of the

Ilorin Emirate The Ilorin Emirate is a traditional state based in the city of Ilorin in Kwara State, Nigeria. It is largely populated by the Yoruba-speaking people, though the kingdom is a hybrid state due to the influence of the many other tribes that make ...

in the

Nigerian chieftaincy system The Nigerian Chieftaincy is the chieftaincy system that is native to Nigeria. Consisting of everything from the country's monarchs to its titled family elders, the chieftaincy as a whole is one of the oldest continuously existing institutions i ...

. They have four children.

References

External links

WebsiteFacebook pageTwitter pageWellbeing Foundation AfricaVideos#MaternalMondayToyin_Saraki_Affirms_Her_Integrity_[vanguard
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/nowiki>] {{DEFAULTSORT:Saraki, Toyin 1964 births Living people Alumni of King's College London Nigerian philanthropists Alumni of the University of London Nigerian women lawyers Spouses of Nigerian state governors Toyin Yoruba women philanthropists Yoruba women lawyers Lawyers from Lagos Yoruba women in politics 20th-century Nigerian lawyers 21st-century Nigerian lawyers Ojora family 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers People educated at Roedean School, East Sussex Holy Child College alumni