Read the true story of how the czar of fake drugs,
Prof Dora Akinyili died:
“It all began in 1998 when Dora Akunyili was informed
by her Nigerian doctors that she had a growth and needed
surgery. She was the then Zonal Secretary
(South-east) of the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund.
Visibly scared, Prof Akunyili immediately took off
to America for diagnosis to get a second opinion and then undergo the
prescribed surgery. The bill for the medical trip was $17,000, including
$12,000 for the surgery.
Sequel to the pre-surgery check-up in the US, the
doctors told her the Nigerian doctors had made a wrong diagnosis and that she
did not need any surgery. It was said to be a minor issue that medication would
solve.
Relieved, Madam Dora thanked God and the doctors
and, to their surprise, said she was going to return the money meant for the
surgery to PTF. That was strange. Nigerian government officials had devised a
way of making sure such monies were not returned to the treasury.
Surprised at this strange Nigerian, the hospital
informed the PTF, under the leadership of Major
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, about
one honest Nigerian they had found. Buhari, himself a straightforward person,
was very impressed. He wrote a letter to Akunyili commending her honesty.
When President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to appoint a
director-general for the National Agency for Drug and Food Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) in 2001 and asked for the recommendation of an honest Nigerian
pharmacist. Akunyili’s name promptly came up. Someone who had heard about her
PTF record recommended her.
However, objections were raised that the minister of
health, Prof. ABC Nwosu, was an Igbo from Anambra State and NAFDAC, being a
powerful agency under the ministry, should not be headed by another Igbo from
Anambra.
It was also argued that the market for fake and
substandard products were controlled by the Igbo, with Onitsha – also in Anambra
State – a major centre for the illicit business. She was going to protect “her
people”, the antagonists said.
The then President Obasanjo recalcitrantly ignored
the observations and appointed her. She went on to do a credible job and ended
up as one of the most outstanding public officers in Nigeria’s history,
celebrated locally and globally.
The fact that she lost her sister to fake drugs was
perhaps the impetus she needed to go on the offensive.
Meanwhile, Akunyili always went abroad for check-ups
and she was always given an all-clear. She continued to look robust and
energetic, and took up another government job as minister of information and
communications.
But on July 13, 2013, something strange happened to
her. She was preparing to travel to the United States to receive an award. The
following day was her birthday. Her 59th, precisely. Then she fell ill. She was
physically weak and having pains. She decided to go ahead with her trip and
attend to her health in the United States.
It was while she was there that new checks were
carried out. Alas, she had cancer. The original diagnosis in 1998 was right.
But the diagnosis at the point of surgery was wrong. She became seriously ill
and there were fears she could lose her life. She was in the hospital for
months and only returned to Nigeria this year when the doctors said she was
improving.
Her last public appearance was at the National
Conference in Abuja, where she was a delegate. Pictures of a frail-looking
Akumyili soon went viral on the internet. We could not ascertain the type of
cancer, but there are several reports pinpointing cervical.
Globally, cervical cancer is the second most common
and the fifth deadliest cancer in women, according to the World Health
Organisation (WHO). Akunyili died on June 7, 2014 in India after surviving many
death rumours”.
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