In a health system where the conversation is often dominated by hospitals, pharmaceuticals and conventional clinical interventions, a different approach to wellness is quietly gaining ground in Oyo State.
It is an approach built around the belief that healthcare should not only respond to illness but should also help people understand their bodies, prevent avoidable health challenges and embrace complementary approaches to wellbeing.
Critical to this emerging movement is Ibadan based Deway Natural Healthcare Services, an organisation whose Founder and Chairman, Dr. Joshua Adedeji, has increasingly positioned alternative medicine, physical wellness and health education as important components of the broader healthcare conversation.
For Adedeji, the story is not simply about alternative medicine. It is about the people and organic medicine.
It is about the elderly man searching for relief from a persistent health challenge; the busy civil servant struggling with lifestyle-related conditions; the farmer who has limited access to conventional healthcare facilities; the woman looking for affordable wellness options; and families trying to navigate an increasingly expensive healthcare environment.
It is also about changing the mindset that healthcare begins only when an individual falls sick.
The philosophy behind Deway is deeply rooted in a simple proposition: prevention, healthy living and responsible complementary care should have a place in the healthcare conversation.
That proposition is particularly significant in a state like Oyo, where the healthcare system serves a large and diverse population spread across urban centres, semi-urban communities and rural areas.
While conventional medicine remains indispensable, alternative medicine can potentially serve as a complementary pathway when practised responsibly, particularly in areas such as wellness education, nutrition, lifestyle modification, physical wellbeing and the use of traditional or natural approaches that are supported by appropriate evidence and professional guidance.
This is the space Deway has sought to occupy rather than presenting alternative medicine as a replacement for hospitals or qualified medical professionals. The organisation’s emerging model places emphasis on holistic wellbeing and the need for people to become more conscious of their health.
That distinction matters because the future of healthcare is increasingly being discussed in terms of integration — bringing together appropriate elements of conventional medicine, preventive health, physical wellness, nutrition, health education and evidence-informed complementary practices.
It is within this broader context that Deway’s activities can be understood fom personal conviction to a wider mission.
Behind the organisation is a founder who has made alternative medicine and wellness a significant part of his public and professional identity.
Dr. Joshua Adedeji, who also serves as Director of Alternative Medicine at the Perspective Leadership Development Institute/Leadership Empowerment International Conference (PLDI/LEIC), has used his platform to promote conversations around alternative healthcare and human development.
His work has also placed him in contact with prominent personalities and institutions within Nigeria’s leadership, sports and development circles.
One of the notable engagements involved the International Coordinator of PLDI/LEIC, Prof. Michael Olusesi Obateye, and Chief Segun Odegbami, reflecting the expanding network around the organisation’s leadership and wellness advocacy.
Another significant moment came when Adedeji was recognized in a personal handshake from Princess Dr. Ronke Ogunremi, a member of the Ogun State Governor’s Advisory Council at a recent stakeholders engagement in the alternative healthcare industry.
Such engagements, while ceremonial on the surface, illustrate something deeper: the growing intersection between health, leadership, human development and community transformation.
The relationship between Deway and PLDI/LEIC adds another dimension to Adedeji’s work and recognition.
The Perspective Leadership Development Institute/Leadership Empowerment International Conference, in collaboration with the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute provided a platform for conversations around leadership, empowerment and national development, where Adedeji was invited to speak over issues affecting the industry.
It was against this backdrop that the International Coordinator of PLDI/LEIC introduced Dr. Joshua Adedeji as the organisation’s CEO of Deeway and Director of Alternative Medicine.
The connection is significant because health and leadership are rarely separate issues.
A society cannot achieve sustainable development when its citizens are consistently battling preventable illnesses, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and inadequate health awareness.
Healthy citizens are more productive citizens. Healthy workers contribute more effectively to their families and communities. Healthy children have better prospects of learning and development.
In that sense, Adedeji’s alternative medicine advocacy extends beyond individual treatment. It touches on the broader question of human capacity.
One of the weaknesses of healthcare discussions is that statistics can sometimes obscure the people behind them.
We speak about disease prevalence, hospital capacity, mortality rates and healthcare financing, but behind every figure is a human story.
There is the mother who spends hours travelling to obtain healthcare.
There is the elderly person who has lived with discomfort for years.
There is the young entrepreneur whose health begins to suffer because of stress, poor diet and lack of physical activity.
There is the family that delays seeking medical attention because of cost.
There is also the person who does not realise that certain daily habits may be contributing to deteriorating health. This is where health education becomes particularly important.
Deway’s broader alternative medicine and wellness orientation therefore, seeks to encourage people to look at health from a more comprehensive perspective; one that considers the individual as a whole rather than focusing exclusively on symptoms.
Oyo State has a long history of traditional healthcare practices and a population with deep cultural connections to indigenous knowledge.
From herbal preparations to traditional approaches to physical wellbeing, indigenous healthcare practices have existed alongside modern medicine for generations.
The challenge today is how to ensure that such practices are approached responsibly.
Not every traditional remedy is automatically safe. Not every health claim made in the alternative medicine space is scientifically established. And no responsible healthcare campaign should encourage people to abandon proven medical treatment for unverified remedies.
This is why professionalism, regulation, research, appropriate referrals and evidence-based practice are crucial.
For organisations operating in the alternative medicine space, credibility will increasingly depend on their ability to distinguish between legitimate complementary healthcare and unsupported claims.
Deway’s growing public profile therefore comes with an equally important responsibility: ensuring that alternative medicine contributes positively to healthcare without creating dangerous competition with conventional medicine.
Perhaps the most important conversation surrounding alternative medicine is not whether it should replace conventional healthcare.
It is whether both approaches can responsibly coexist where appropriate.
A patient receiving conventional treatment may also require nutritional counselling, physical rehabilitation, stress management or other complementary wellness interventions.
Similarly, an individual interested in natural or traditional approaches should be encouraged to seek professional advice, particularly where serious or persistent symptoms are involved.
This collaborative model could become increasingly important in Oyo State.
Rather than asking whether alternative medicine or conventional medicine is superior, the more productive question may be: How can every responsible healthcare resource available to society be deployed to improve people’s quality of life?
That is a conversation Deeway is now helping to bring into public consciousness.
Adedeji’s association with leadership development also provides an interesting window into his approach.
At PLDI/LEIC, where he serves as Director of Alternative Medicine, the emphasis extends beyond healthcare to leadership empowerment and human development.
It is a recognition that leadership itself is ultimately about people. The healthier, more knowledgeable and empowered people are, the stronger the foundation for sustainable development.
This philosophy was further demonstrated when Dr. Adedeji presented an artwork of former Nigerian President and International Grand Patron of PLDI/LEIC, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
The presentation was more than a symbolic gesture. It represented the relationship between leadership, recognition, institutional values and the broader ambition to create platforms where individuals can contribute meaningfully to society.
The growing interest in alternative medicine in Nigeria cannot be separated from the changing realities of healthcare.
The cost of healthcare has become a major concern for many households particularly in Nigeria.
Lifestyle-related health challenges are becoming more visible. People are increasingly searching for preventive approaches to wellness, while interest in natural and traditional healthcare practices remains strong.
Social media has also transformed the way people consume health information but that transformation comes with risks.
Unverified health advice can travel faster than accurate medical information. Miracle cures can be promoted without evidence. People can be persuaded to abandon necessary treatment.
That is why responsible organisations such as Deway have an opportunity to help reshape the conversation by promoting health awareness while encouraging people to make informed decisions.
The alternative medicine sector will ultimately be judged not by the number of dramatic claims it makes, but by the number of lives it can genuinely improve without compromising safety.
For Dr. Adedeji, the broader objective appears to be empowerment. Healthcare empowerment means giving individuals the knowledge to understand their health.
It means encouraging preventive behaviour. It means helping people recognise when they need professional medical attention. It means promoting physical wellbeing. It means exploring complementary healthcare options responsibly.
And it means creating an environment where healthcare is not perceived solely as something that happens inside a hospital.
This philosophy could have particular relevance in underserved communities, where health education can sometimes make as much difference as the availability of physical healthcare infrastructure.
A person who understands the importance of early medical consultation, good nutrition, personal hygiene, physical activity and preventive care is already better positioned to protect his or her health.
As Deway continues to expand its footprint and Dr. Adedeji deepens his involvement in alternative medicine advocacy, the organisation’s greatest opportunity may be to build stronger bridges between alternative healthcare practitioners, conventional medical professionals, researchers, policymakers, community leaders and health educators.
Such collaboration could produce more meaningful outcomes than operating in isolated camps.
Research can help establish what works.
Regulation can help protect the public.
Medical professionals can provide appropriate referrals. Alternative medicine practitioners can contribute relevant complementary approaches.
Community organisations can take health education to the grassroots.
Government can provide the policy environment required for responsible practice.
And organisations such as Deway can help bring these different actors into the same conversation.
The most compelling aspect of Deeway’s journey is not its corporate identity or the personalities surrounding it. It is the possibility of what happens when healthcare is brought closer to ordinary people.
It is the possibility of a grandmother discovering that she does not have to ignore persistent symptoms.
It is a young person learning that health is an investment rather than an afterthought.
It is a family becoming more conscious of nutrition and physical wellbeing.
It is a community gaining access to health education.
It is also the recognition that medicine, regardless of its form, must ultimately serve one purpose: helping people live healthier and more productive lives.
From his role as Founder and Chairman of Deway to his position as Director of Alternative Medicine at PLDI/LEIC, Dr. Joshua Adedeji is already building a public profile around that philosophy.
But in Oyo State’s evolving healthcare landscape, the conversation he represents is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: healthcare should not merely be about treating people when they become sick; it should also be about empowering them to understand, protect and improve their health.
And perhaps that is where the real transformation begins, not in a prescription, a hospital ward or a medical statistic, but in the moment an individual decides to take responsibility for his or her wellbeing.
The name of the company: Deway Natural Healthcare Services Limited is located at Opposite Oluwo Nla Police Station, Bashorun, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Phone Number: 07033307684 / 07033187985.