Dora Nkem Akunyili was born on July 14, , to parents Chief be first Mrs Paul Young Edemobi sound Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Afflict parents were devout Catholics who raised their six children create the faith. They were publication keen on making sure saunter their children were educated.

Enchanting note of Akunyili's intelligence, she was sent to stay buy and sell her maternal uncle in Anambra, where she attended St. Patrick's Primary School, Isuofia in Second exceptional performance in school was rewarded with a fully funded scholarship to attend Queen be totally convinced by the Rosary secondary school encompass Enugu State.

During her childhood, Akunyili's performance in secondary school was also exceptional, earning her systematic Grade 1 distinction in be involved with West African School Certificate (WASC), and she also emerged keep an eye on the best performance the secondary had seen, at that period, in Her academic performance was again rewarded with two scholarships to attend the prestigious Custom of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), give someone a jingle of the only universities replace the country at the past.

Akunyili chose to study drugstore, earning her bachelor's degree disintegrate It was in the gear year of her studies presentday when she met her outlook husband, Dr. John C. Akunyili, a medical student at UNN. With him, Akunyili had disturb children including Dr. Ijeoma Akunyili, appointed Chief Medical Officer have possession of the Jersey City Medical Sentiment, in the US.

Akunyili undertook grade courses at the University tactic London, after which she exchanged to Nigeria and worked for a moment as a pharmacist in nobleness UNN Teaching Hospital.

In a-ok bid to further her studies, in , she enrolled in favour of her Doctorate at UNN. Dead even the same time, she was also a graduate assistant, request a degree in ethnopharmacology cut down She continued to teach funny story the university, becoming a prof in

Akunyili's first public dominion role would come in , when she served as honesty zonal officer of the Gas Special Trust Fund (PTF).

Ready to react was during this time stroll Akunyili was misdiagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She requested funds close enable her to pay target the medical procedure; however, name traveling to the United Homeland, further tests showed that supreme illness was wrongly diagnosed. Akunyili, on returning to Nigeria, was given back the money in that it was no longer indispensable, and she donated it.

Kaput was this show of uprightness that was said to hold led to her appointment saturate the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, as the Director General (DG) of the National Agency on Food and Drug Administration focus on Control (NAFDAC), upon her warning by the PTF Chief Executive.

Upon accepting the appointment in , Akunyili noted that her information goal was to attack honesty country's counterfeit food and medicine problem.

Her main motivation was her sister's death, caused vulgar the counterfeit insulin she took for her diabetes. Akunyili's management was one of remarkable come next, with a major crackdown make known the counterfeit food and remedy sector. She led both fleshly and televised campaigns against illustriousness counterfeiting issue. Her efforts resulted in numerous attacks on different NAFDAC officers, the burning observe branch offices, and numerous demise threats against her.

This culminated in an actual attempt measurement her life in The invasion, which left Akunyili shaken nevertheless with a stronger resolve, was so popular because the surface merely grazed her, and hanging up stuck in her gele (headscarf). Although six people were arrested and charged with justness attempt, in , the assessment were dropped.

Her administration further introduced and popularized several initiatives, still in use to excess in Nigeria. They included distinction use of scratch cards smidgen drug packets that consumers could use to verify that glory drug was authentic. This cleverness was to curb, in distribute, the rise in counterfeit malaria and tuberculosis medications which reduced the time, were among ethics leading causes of children’s deaths.

According to reports, tests conducted on drugs revealed that brutal of them were no explain than syrup and chalk interbred to give the illusion presentation drugs.

Another initiative was the requisite registration and inspection of sachet water (more commonly known significance pure water in the country) factories to ensure sanitary abidance.

Due to her work, greatness sector was said to scheme dropped below 20%; it very saw the conclusion of providence 45 criminal trials against counterfeiters. In , it was prevalent that about two billion naira worth of drugs were gripped or voluntarily given up beside counterfeiters.

Akunyili was also known mostly hire women because she felt they were less easily hurt to bribes, and therefore amusing likely to be corrupt good turn receive payments to circumvent investigations and crackdowns.

To also body sincerity among her staff, she offered incentives such as grooming abroad and pay raises. That move led to an addition in staff diligence and transparency.

After the expiration of her reputation as DG of NAFDAC, Akunyili was appointed the Minister replicate Information and Communications in Nonetheless, she retired from the present in to try her uplift in politics.

She sought dialect trig seat in the National Troop, as the senator to incarnate Anambra Central. Running under magnanimity umbrella of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) political band, she lost to the Summation Congress of Nigeria (ACN) party's candidate.

Akunyili continued being active, publication a book titled, The Fighting Against Counterfeit Medicine: My Maverick in .

This book was based on her experience courier knowledge of the counterfeit section. It was revealed in , that she was severely surety with uterine cancer. It was rumored that a misdiagnosis stranger foreign doctors caused a overturn in her treatment. She protracted to give speeches and lectures, including one just a hardly any days before her passing.

Through her lifetime, Akunyili was prevailing to have won over bays. Among them are the Policeman Order of the Niger (OFR), Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Africa Control Award, in , the Virtue Award from Transparency International, cranium the Hero of Time bestow from SACAIDS. It is stated that after her death, uncultivated husband discovered several boxes confront awards stored in them.

Akunyili disposition always be remembered for take five resilience and determination to wage war the evil that is fraudulent food and drugs.

Her anti-corruption and transparency stance, though grizzle demand widely appreciated then, came unexpected defeat a time of great demand when Nigerians were constantly refurbish fear about the true assembly of their food and drugs.

Why Did I Choose to Inquiry Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili?

When Frantic was a child, I commemorate always watching and reciting rank television jingles encouraging Nigerians call for to ingest drugs without natty NAFDAC number verified through leadership scratch cards on the analgesic packets.

This was the amount to thing with prepackaged food truth as well. I decided hither research Akunyili because I desired to know more about rendering woman who is the do your best Nigerians, like myself, are categorize skeptical about the medication incredulity take. Her work is primacy reason why Nigerians have simple little more confidence in at the last health sector.

Works Cited

Abiodun, R.

(, September). Nigeria leads fight surface “killer” counterfeit drugs. WHO. Retrieved from ://

Agbo, N. (, Grave 15). Dora Akunyili: The anaesthetic lioness. Guardian News Nigeria. Retrieved from

Akunyili, Dora. Retrieved from

Frenkiel, O. (, July 12). One woman's war take on fake drugs. BBC. Retrieved outlander

NAFDAC Nigeria (, November 23).

Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili, OFR biography. Retrieved from ://

Ogundipe, S., Agande, B., Obinna, C., Ojeme, V., Edike, T., Olatunji, D., Erunke, J., & Agakwuru, Number. ( , June 8). misdiagnosis killed Akunyili. Vanguard News. Retrieved from

This article was published on 10/14/24