Dora Akunyili

Dora Nkem Akunyili (14 July 1954 – 7 June 2014) was the Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria from 2001 to 2008.

Early life and education Dora Edemobi was born in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria to Chief Paul Young Edemobi who hailed from Nanka, Anambra 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, Enugu State in 1973, where she graduated with Grade I Distinction consequently, she won the Eastern Nigerian Government Post Primary Scholarship and the Federal Government of Nigeria Undergraduate Scholarship.

Career She served on several State Government Boards and was named Supervisory Councilor for Agriculture in a Local Government unit in Anambra State. In 2001, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed her the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Akunyili had a special motivation for attacking the country's counterfeit drug problem including one in Kano State 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, fake muscle relaxant and infected intravenous drips. Her efforts led to increased public awareness about counterfeit drugs and more direct and purposeful surveillance at Nigerian customs.

Politics In 2008, Akunyili was appointed Minister of Information and Communications. She immediately sent a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission disputing the result.

She was a pharmacist and governmental administrator who gained international recognition and won several awards for her work in pharmacology, public health and human rights also including Grassroots Human Rights Campaigner Award by International Services in 2005.

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 was awarded the prestigious Genius Grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

In 2012, her book: The War Against Counterfeit Medicine: My Story was published. Her funeral took place on 27 and 28 August, attended by many dignitaries from within Nigeria and beyond, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, and a former Nigerian military ruler General Yakubu Gowon. Akunyili was laid to rest at Agulu in Anambra State. The Federal Government of Nigeria alleged that IPOB was responsible for his death.

Awards

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. Award of Excellence – Integrated World Services (IWS), December 2005 Award of Excellence – Advocacy for Democracy Dividends International, Lagos, 17 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, Lagos, October, 2005 Integrity Award 2003 – Transparency International