Dora Nkem Akunyili (14 July 1954 – 7 June 2014) was the
Director-General
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a government ...
of
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertis ...
(NAFDAC) of Nigeria from 2001 to 2008.
Early life and education
Dora Edemobi was born in
Makurdi, Benue State
Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popula ...
, Nigeria to Chief Paul Young Edemobi who hailed from Nanka,
Anambra State
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...
. She received her First School Leaving Certificate from St. Patrick's Primary School, Isuofia, Anambra State, in 1966
and had her
West African School Certificate Examination (W.A.S.C) at Queen of the Rosary Secondary School
Nsukka
Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo.
The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively re ...
,
Enugu State
Enugu State ( ig, Ȯra Enugu) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. T ...
in 1973, where she graduated with Grade I Distinction
consequently, she won the
Eastern Nigerian Government
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
* Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
* Eastern Air ...
Post Primary Scholarship and the Federal Government of Nigeria Undergraduate Scholarship.
She went on to study
pharmacology
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
at the
University of Nigeria
The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...
(U.N.N.), graduating in 1978 and received her Ph.D. in
ethnopharmacology
Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. Th ...
in 1985.
Career
She served on several State Government Boards and then was named Supervisory Councilor for Agriculture in a Local Government unit in Anambra State. She worked as a hospital pharmacist in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. (U.N.T.H), Enugu State.
In 1981, she became a Graduate Assistant in the FaU.NN. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, U.N.N. In 1990, she became a Senior Lecturer and in 1996, she was made a Consultant Pharmacologist at the College of Medicine.
In 1996, Akunyili became Zonal Secretary of the Petroleum Special Trust Fund (P.T.F), coordinating projects funded by profits from oil in Nigeria's South Eastern States. In 2001, President
Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...
appointed her the Director-General of the
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertis ...
(NAFDAC).
NAFDAC
She was appointed NAFDAC DG in 2001 and served till 2009.
Akunyili had a special motivation for attacking the country's counterfeit drug problem and this is because, in 1988, she had watched her sister aged 21, die after being given injections of fake
insulin
Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
as part of regular
diabetes treatment
The term ''diabetes'' includes several different metabolic disorders that all, if left untreated, result in abnormally high concentration of a sugar called glucose in the blood. Diabetes mellitus type 1 results when the pancreas no longer produces ...
.
She put together a team of mostly female
pharmacists
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
and inspectors and started a war against counterfeit drugs that saw many open-air medicine markets across the country closed down. Including one in
Kano State
Kano State (Hausa: ''Jihar Kano''جىِهَر كَنوُ) (Fula: Leydi Kano 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞤲𞤮𞥅 ) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. According to the national census done in ...
after her officers confiscated £140,000 worth of fake drugs.
The agency, under her leadership, broadcast jingles on radio and television to make the public aware of the dangers of substandard drugs and to encourage people to report suspicious drugs while also publishing lists of counterfeit products regularly in the newspapers.
In July 2003, the International Children's Heart Foundation visited Nigeria to operate on sick children at a teaching hospital in Enugu. After four children died in what appeared to be a case of counterfeit medical supplies, and despite being confronted with what seemed to be a hospital cover-up, Akunyili confiscated supplies and found fake
adrenalin, fak
muscle relaxantand infected intravenous drips.
As of June 2006, she was reported to have secured convictions for 45 counterfeiters with 56 cases pending. Her efforts led to increased public awareness about counterfeit drugs and more direct and purposeful surveillance at Nigerian customs.
Assassination attempt
On 26 December 2003, while Akunyili was on the way to
Anambra State
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...
in Eastern Nigeria, gunmen fired on her convoy. The bullets narrowly missed her, with one of the bullets going through her headscarf and through the windscreen of the car. Prior to the incident, she had faced constant death threats against herself, her family, and her staff. In 2014, at least six people were charged with conspiracy and attempted murder, but acquitted and discharged in 2014.
Politics
In 2008, Akunyili was appointed Minister of Information and Communications.
She resigned her appointment as Minister of Information and Communications on December 16, 2010, after two years of service to run for office as senator representing
Anambra Central in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
.
She ran for election as Senator for Anambra Central for the
APGA in April 2011 but was defeated by
Chris Ngige
Chris Nwabueze Ngige (born 8 August 1952) is a Nigerian politician and medical doctor. He is the current Minister of Labour and Employment of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari's administration. He was elected Senator for Anambra Central ...
of the
ACN. She immediately sent a petition to the
Independent National Electoral Commission
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established in 1998 and is the electoral body which oversees elections in Nigeria.
History
Regulation and administration of elections
The administration of democratic elections in Nige ...
disputing the result.
She was a
pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
and governmental administrator who gained international recognition and won several awards for her work in
pharmacology
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
,
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
and
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
.
Personal life and death
She was married to Chike Akunyili, a medical doctor, and they had six children: Ijeoma, Edozie, Somto, Njideka, Chidiogo and Obumneme. In 2017, one of her children,
Njideka Akunyili Crosby
Njideka Akunyili Crosby (born 1983) is a Nigerian-born visual artist working in Los Angeles, California. Through her art Akunyili Crosby "negotiates the cultural terrain between her adopted home in America and her native Nigeria, creating collag ...
was awarded the prestigious
Genius Grant
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...
from the
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Dora Akunyili died at a specialist cancer hospital in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
on 7 June 2014 after a two-year battle with
uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the uteru ...
.
Her funeral took place on 27 and 28 August, attended by many dignitaries from within Nigeria and beyond, including former President
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...
, and a former Nigerian military ruler General
Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquish ...
. Akunyili was laid to rest at
Agulu
Agulu is a large town in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is located in Anaocha Local Government Area. Agulu is under the Anambra Central Senatorial District. It is home to the Agulu Lake. Agulu community has prominent men and women in politics, indus ...
in Anambra State.
In 2012, her book: ''The War Against Counterfeit Medicine: My Story'' was published.
Assassination of Chike Akunyili
On 28 September 2021, her husband Chike Akunyili was killed by gunmen at Nkpor, in the Idemili North Local Government Area of
Anambra
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi Stat ...
on his way back from an event to honor his late wife at Sharon Hall, All Saints Cathedral,
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...
, and organized by the University of Nigeria Nsukka Alumni Association (UNAA). At least seven other people were said to have been killed in the attack, which is currently under investigation. The
Federal Government of Nigeria alleged that
IPOB is responsible for his death.
Awards
![DoraAkunyili Monument at Ezinano Agulu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/DoraAkunyili_Monument_at_Ezinano_Agulu.jpg)
Akunyili received over 900 awards throughout her career, the highest number of awards ever received by any Nigerian. With over 900 awards, Historyville reports that over 100 awards were later discovered in her boxes.
Some of the awards Akunyili received were:
*
Order of the Federal Republic
The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger.
The highest honours where the Grand Commander in the Order of the Federal Re ...
, OFR
* ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine award 2006 ("One of the eighteen heroes of our time")
* Person of the Year 2005 Award –
Silverbird Communications Ltd, Lagos, 5 January. 2006
* Award of Excellence – Integrated World Services (IWS), December 2005
* Award of Excellence – Advocacy for Democracy Dividends International, Lagos, 17 December 2005
* Meritorious Award 2005 – St. Michael's Military Catholic Church, Apapa,
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 ...
, 4 December 2005
* African Virtuous and Entrepreneurial Women Merit Award 2005 – African Biographical Network, December, 2005
* Award for the Best Government Parastatal – National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), December, 2005
* An Icon of Excellence Award – The African Cultural Institute and
Zenith Bank Plc, 8 December 2005
* 2005 Grassroots Human Rights Campaigner Award London-based Human Rights Defense Organization, 8 December. 2005
* Most Innovative Director Award Federal Government College,
Ijanikin Ijanikin is a neighbourhood located in the Oto-Awori district of Ojo, Lagos State, Nigeria
People
Ijanikin is basically occupied by the Awori Awori is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Aggrey Awori (1939–2021), Ugandan econo ...
, Lagos, October, 2005.
* Integrity Award 2003 –
Transparency International
Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...
.
See also
*
Counterfeit drugs
A counterfeit medication or a counterfeit drug is a medication or pharmaceutical item which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity, or effectiveness. A counterfeit drug may contain inappropriate qua ...
References
External links
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC)Sad news! "Prof. Dora Akunyili has passed on"Dr. (Mrs.) Dora Nkem AkunyiliBBC World Service SpecialBBC ''Woman's Hour''Address by Dora Akunyili at The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: Washington, D.C: USA: "Women Leadership in Emerging Democracy – My NAFDAC Experience""Dora Akunyili Dead From Cancer At Age 59"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akunyili, Dora
1954 births
2014 deaths
People from Makurdi
Nigerian pharmacists
University of Nigeria alumni
Deaths from ovarian cancer
Deaths from cancer in India
University of Nigeria faculty
Igbo politicians
Burials in Anambra State
Nigerian women academics
Federal ministers of Nigeria
21st-century Nigerian politicians
21st-century Nigerian women politicians
Information and communications ministers of Nigeria
Women government ministers of Nigeria
Women pharmacists
Igbo people