By Bayo Oluwasanmi
Last week, the world lost a great woman. Indeed, this planet lost one of the
most talented and multi-faceted women of our time.
We are shocked and
saddened by the sudden death of Dr. Dora Akunyili, Nigeria’s former
Director-General, National Agency for Drug and Food Administration and Control
(NAFDAC).
Death comes, and it comes
to each family and each person. It’s part of life cycle. We know that one day
our time will come. However, it takes faith to accept it when death comes
knocking.
Dora as she was fondly called, assumed the leadership of NAFDAC when Nigeria’s
multibillion dollar counterfeit drug industry was not only surviving but
flourishing. Ours is a country where healthcare is lacking and the cost of
pharmaceutical drugs are prohibitive and out of reach for the poor. The cheaper
alternative for the people is counterfeit drugs.
Courageous and daring,
Dora did not hesitate or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger to
disrupt and dismantle the manufacture, supply and purchase of counterfeit
drugs.
The unprecedented
infestation of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria reads like a diary of disaster.
Metaphorically, Nigerians are experiencing total darkness in the counterfeit
drug industry. It was a time when the life of sick Nigerians – the poor and the
vulnerable, the frail and the infirm – were filled with shadow. Dora was the
light and the sunshine.
She was passionate about
protecting and preserving the health and life of Nigerians especially the poor
who could not afford pharmaceutical drugs. Obviously, the powerful counterfeit
drug barons did not welcome Dora with ceremony and reception. Neither did they
comply without a fight.
Her character was smeared
and her motives questioned. In fact, one or two assassination attempts were
made on her life. Providentially, the assassins missed the vital organs.
Nonetheless, Dora remained dogged and steadfast in her commitment to rid
Nigeria of fake drugs.
Her goal was to elevate
NAFDAC to the enviable status of America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
To put in place the necessary reforms, Dora became the drug czar.
In the true sense of the
word, Dora was a no-nonsense drug czar. She destabilized the industry by
enforcing stringent measures and control. She stemmed the flow and funnel of
counterfeit drugs. The cartel criminals paid instantly and dearly for their
crimes.
She policed the
manufacturing, distribution, and sale of the counterfeit drug trade. She
initiated quality control standards for the industry with bar code and seal of
NAFDAC approval on labels of drugs and processed foods made in Nigeria.
Dora was to Nigeria
public office as light is to stained glass. She was intelligent, strong,
unrelenting, and a fearless advocate in her pursuit of justice. She was a
surrogate for hard work and persistence.
Her reassignment to the
useless, needless, and irrelevant ministry of information stunned Nigerians.
Nigerians seem to be asking: how could such a high performer and effective
NAFDAC chief be sent to Siberia?
Her departure from NAFDAC
was mourned as if a life had been snuffed out. Dora took the teeth and jaw of
NAFDAC with her when she left for the information ministry. That was the last
time NAFDAC would inflict any serious dent or damage on traffickers and
profiteers of counterfeit drugs.
With her passing, she has
lived her calling. She packed a whole lot of living into the years she spent
among mortals. Though she was taken much too soon, she is connected in our
passion, our humanity, and our empathy. Dora, we truly love you!
Remarkable women fuel our
lives. Dora was one of them. She inspired us, she taught us, and she nourished
us. We’re so grateful for the amazing work she did for our nation and we’ll
never forget her cause.
“What we have done for
ourselves alone dies with us,” remarks Albert Pike, “what we have done for
others and the world remains and is immortal.” Dora exemplified the best in our
public service.
Dora as a public servant
activist and advocate was on call 24/7. She was the frontline between the
victims of counterfeit drugs and the profiteers. She was a public servant with
a heart and a conscience.
Death is a topic that
makes us uncomfortable. It brings us face to face with our own mortality. It
causes us to pause and think of what we do with our lives especially those
people who are appointed over the affairs of their fellow beings.
As Helen Keller reminds
us, “Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there is a
difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to
see.” Similarly, there is a difference for Dora and in that other room she will
be able to rest in peace.
Dora, good bye and
goodnight!
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