When Mrs Dora Nkem Akunyili was the Zonal Secretary (South-east) of the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund in 1998, Nigerian doctors gave her what many of her family members considered to be a health scare. They said she had a growth and needed surgery.
Akunyili, then 44, decided to travel to the United States,
first 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.
During 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.
She
thanked 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. 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.
NAFDAC
NAFDAC Then came 2001. President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to
appoint a director-general for the National Agency for Drug and Food
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) 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. There was a little problem, a
Nigerian problem.
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.
Obasanjo, stubborn to the cause, 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.
She had lost a sister to fake drugs, and that was perhaps
the impetus she needed to go on the offensive.
Misdiagnosis
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.
TheCable could not ascertain the type of cancer, but there are several reports
pinpointing cervical – and some claim it was ovarian. 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.
May her soul continue to rest in peace.
Courtesy of: thecable
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