The paper examines the institutionalization and development of modern maternal and child health (MCH) services in Sokoto Area. It is a historical study that through content analysis of the existing literature and interviews, discusses the introduction of MCH services, the people's perception of and attitudes to the services as well as the subsequent acceptance and development of the services in the area. By so doing, the paper accounts for the historical root of the contemporary problems of MCH services in Sokoto Area; and present what can be learnt from that for the future. The findings of the study indicate that MCH services were initially abhorred by the Sokoto people and this was why the tardy progress of the services for nearly two decades after the introduction. However, after the services gained wider acceptance by the people, the Colonial Government failed to provide the needed facilities for the development of the services. Also, the Post-colonial Government was unable to counterchallenge most of the lingering left-over problems of MCH services up to 1986; when the general development of health care services was interrupted by the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). Finally, the paper presents some of the unabated challenges of MCH services that are still evident in the post-SAP period.