Dora Nkem Akunyili (14 July 1954 – 7 June 2014) was the

Director-General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

from 2001 to 2008.

Early life and education

Dora Edemobi was born in Makurdi, Benue State,

to Chief Paul Young Edemobi who hailed from Nanka,

Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

. She received her First School Leaving Certificate from St. Patrick's Primary School, Isuofia,

, 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 () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes 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 so ...

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. She went on to study

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

at the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal and public research university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, South-east Nigeria. Founded in 1955 by Nnamdi Azikiwe who was Governor-General of Nigeria between 1960 and 1963 ...

(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. The ...

in 1985.

Career

She served on several State Government Boards and was named Supervisory Councilor for Agriculture in a Local Government unit in

. She worked as a hospital pharmacist in the university of

Teaching Hospital. (U.N.T.H),

. In 1981, she became a Graduate Assistant in the FaU.NN. of

Pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

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 Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

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 (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

appointed her the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

NAFDAC

She was appointed

NAFDAC The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a Nigerian federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertis ...

DG in 2001 and served till 2009. Akunyili had a special motivation for attacking the country's

counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

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 insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

as part of regular diabetes treatment. She put together a team of mostly female

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

s 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 (Hausa language, Hausa: ) is one of the 36 States of Nigeria, states of Nigeria, located in the Northern Region, Nigeria, northern region of the country. According to the national census done in 2006, Kano State is the List of Nigerian st ...

after her officers confiscated £140,000 worth of fake drugs. The agency, under her

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

, broadcast

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

s 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

products regularly in the newspapers. In July 2003, the

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Children's Heart Foundation visited

to operate on sick children at a teaching hospital in

Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes 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 so ...

. 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 relaxant
and 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

in Eastern

, gunmen fired on her

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

. The bullets narrowly missed her, with one of the bullets going through her headscarf and the windscreen of the car. Prior to the incident, she had faced constant death

threat A threat is a communication of intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. Intimidation is a tactic used between conflicting parties to make the other timid or psychologically insecure for coercion or control. The act of intimidation f ...

s against herself, her family, and her staff. In 2014, at least six people were charged with

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

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 Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

and

Communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

s on 16 December 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 repr ...

. She ran for election as Senator for

Anambra Anambra () is a state in Nigeria. It is located in the South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Rivers State to the south, Enugu State to ...

Central for the APGA in April 2011 but was defeated by Chris Ngige of the ACN. She immediately sent a petition to the

Independent National Electoral Commission Independent National Electoral Commission may refer to: *Independent National Electoral Commission (Burundi) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Guinea) The Inde ...

disputing the result. She was a

and governmental administrator who gained international recognition and won several awards for her work in

pharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...

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 de ...

and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

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. Dora Akunyili died at a specialist cancer hospital in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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 ute ...

. Her funeral took place on 27 and 28 August, attended by many dignitaries from within

and beyond, including former President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and ...

, and a former

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

military ruler General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma "Jack" Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a Nigerian former military officer and statesman who served as the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. Gowon was Nigeria's leader during the Nigerian Civil War where he delivered ...

. Akunyili was laid to rest at Agulu in

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

on his way back from an event to honor his late wife at Sharon Hall, All Saints Cathedral,

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

, and organized by the

Nsukka Alumni Association (UNAA). At least seven other people were said to have been killed in the attack. The

Federal Government of Nigeria The federal government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, whose powers are vested and bestowed upon by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One of the primary f ...

alleged that IPOB is 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 __NOTOC__ Year 900 ( CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Spring – Forces under the Transoxianian emir Isma'il ibn Ahmad are victorious at Balkh (Northern Afghan ...

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 Nigeria, Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger. The highest honours are the Grand Commander in the Order of the Fede ...

, OFR * ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' 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 ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, 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, 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 s ...

References

External links

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC)

Sad news! "Prof. Dora Akunyili has passed on"

Dr. (Mrs.) Dora Nkem Akunyili

BBC World Service Special

BBC ''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 Academic staff of the University of Nigeria Igbo politicians 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 21st-century pharmacists Igbo people Cancer in Nigeria