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 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.
Source:thecable.ng
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