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Tag: NAFDAC

  • Jonathan: Nigerians won’t forget Akinyili

    Jonathan: Nigerians won’t forget Akinyili

    •She did ordinary things in extraordinary ways, says Kukah

    President Goodluck Jonathan has said it will not be easy for Nigerians to forget the late Minister of Information and Communication, Prof Dora Akunyili, because of her patriotism.

    The President recalled the golden moments the late Akunyili brought to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) when she was its director-general.

    Jonathan spoke yesterday in Abuja at the requiem mass in honour of the late minister at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral Catholic Church at Area 3.

    The President recalled that the late Akunyili was appointed to several offices, including Minister of Information and Communication under former President Umaru Yar’Adua.

    He said her days at NAFDAC were the most cherished because of her service to the nation.

    Jonathan urged Nigerians to emulate the late minister, who he described as diligent, intelligent, patriotic and brave.

    He said: “This is our last assignment in honour of our sister. Dora was a professor of Medicine. At the public level, she served at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), NAFDAC and then minister. Dora was more known as the Director-General of NAFDAC, more than when she served as a minister. Most Nigerians knew Dora because of her service. So, …anybody who has the opportunity to serve should serve well because what will endear you to people is not necessarily the office you hold but the service you render.

    “As a minister, Dora was good. We were very happy to work with her. She was diligent and intelligent; very forthright and extremely patriotic. Above all, she was extremely brave and could say anything right or wrong. She did not care whose ox was gored. That was Dora for you.”

    He also said: “She sought to protect the lives of Nigerians as the director-general of NAFDAC; she never compromised as regards those who trafficked in fake drugs. One thing that endeared her to me is that probably I’m one President who has worked with so many women. At times, you noticed rivalry among women. But with her, you never noticed any rivalry.

    “Today, our dear sister has left us. But to my brother, her husband, as the Bishop has told us about the virtues of a good wife, you have to thank God you will get that respect because of her achievements.”

    Addressing the late Akunyili’s children, Jonathan said: “To my children, your mother was a very dynamic woman because her works and identity have given you what silver and gold cannot give you. Yes, they might not translate into monetary rewards, but many will respect and want to assist you as her children because of her. We pray that those of us serving, that when we die, people will respect our children because of our deeds, like Dora’s. So, you have to thank God for that.

    “Let me thank the Akunyili family, the people of Anambra State, the people of Nigeria and Nigerian women for whom Dora was a role model. Her dressing represented the Nigerian woman, love and character. She was a lady who would hardly leave our memory. She was one of the few Nigerians who made the country proud. I condole with you all. May her soul rest in peace.”

    In his homily, Sokoto Diocese Bishop Matthew Kukah said funerals should be among the proudest moments for Christians because they are a reminder between Christianity and every other religion in the world.

    He said: “This is not to compare Christianity to other religions but to tell us why we are Christians. The reality of funerals is as Jesus demonstrated to us that tears are a part of our emotions as He wept for his friend, Lazarus.

    “St. Paul admonished us in Romans 13 that men and women should work in the light because it would soon be daylight. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is what set Christianity apart from other religions.

    “We know that Jesus went and came back. It is in that simple act that Christians believe that death is the beginning of a new life. We should pay attention to the legacy she left behind. By the way, she used the gifts she had.”

    Kukah added: “The Bible says happy is the husband of a good wife. It illustrates the virtues of women. The reason Nigerians mourn Dora is not because of the contracts she gave but because she had the ability to see the future. Your encounter with her was not ordinary.

    “In politics, public life and family, she demonstrated indeed that power was not everything and that power comes from God. But to some of us, when we pray that the will of God be done, we are simply saying your will correspond to ours on earth. That is why we have a lot of violence in politics.

    “She demonstrated to us that public life can be an opportunity to be noble. When we surrender our lives to God, He has a way of turning it around to something we never can imagine. She left a legacy that her family and children will be proud of. We will go to heaven not because of the extraordinary things we do in life but for the simple things we do extraordinarily. She did ordinary things in extraordinary manner.

    “When we live with good people, we tend to take so many things for granted. Her struggle will never be in vain. May God grant peace to our country.”

    Husband of the deceased, Dr. Chike Akunyili, recalled that Dora won the popular American lottery but dropped her U.S green card at the Immigration post when she was asked to choose to be either an American or a Nigerian.

    This action, he said, demonstrated her true love for her country in words and in deeds.

    He thanked Dr Jonathan and his wife for the comfort they offered him in his moment of grief.

    Dr Akunyili said the special valedictory session by the FEC also consoled him.

    He said: “When Dora died, I saw the special FEC session in her honour. That helped me in my grief. When I also had the opportunity to meet the President in his office, he held my hands and comforted with kind words. He said: ‘Give me any date for Dora, I will be there.’ Today, he is here.

    “Dorothy is an elephant and, if I start talking about her, we will not leave today. We went to Florida in the United States. At the Immigration, they told her: ‘Look, you are an American citizen (because she won the lottery and that was what favoured us). And here you are with a Nigerian diplomatic passport. You must surrender one. She used her left hand to drop her green card and retained her diplomatic passport. So, you can see the level of her love for this country.

    “Once in her local government, they brought a trailer load of fertilisers. What did Dorothy do? She shared all to the community. They told her that was not how it was done but she said: ‘This is how it will be done.’

    “Even as a professor, if you saw her at home, she would hold water for me to wash my hand. And I would tell her: ‘Mummy, you are a professor.’ She would say: ‘I married Nkem before I became a professor.’”

    He added: “One day, we went for medical check-up and we found a lump at her lower abdomen. The doctors said she had seven months. I told her that the doctors said she had seven months to live. She said: ‘The doctors have spoken but God has not spoken.’ Seven months became two years and three months!”

    “I want to thank our children. They were always there, contributing what they could. We had contact with all the best medical doctors in the world because three of her children are doctors in the U.S.

    “Dora had a message for this country. It was a message of love, courage and steadfastness. Even when she was in pain, she still attended the National Conference. You all heard what she said at the conference that ‘a country grows great when old men plant trees, whose shade they will not live to enjoy’.

    “She told me she would serve this country with the last drop of her blood. Many did not want her to go because of her health. She said she would go to the conference. She said: ‘Nigeria first and me second.’”

    The first reading was taken by one of her daughters while one of her sons took the second reading.

    Among the personalities at the ceremony were: First Lady Mrs Patience Jonathan, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; members of the National Assembly; members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC); Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark; Anambra State politician, Dr Andy Uba; frontline industrialist, Dr Stella Okoli; former ministers and former Plateau State Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen.

     

  • ‘Vaccination can prevent typhoid’

    ‘Vaccination can prevent typhoid’

    Nigerians can prevent typhoid fever by being vaccinated with Typhoid Vi Poliysaccharide. Vaccine (TYViVAC).

    According to the Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii, an innoculation of VIVAC will make an individual safe from typhoid for three years.

    Orhii, who spoke at the inauguration of the vaccine in Lagos, said people should avail themselves of the opportunity, adding that the vaccine “can only prevent but not cure.”

    He said the appropriate treatment should be sought from hospitals once an individual is down.

    The DG said the agency took the issue of typhoid seriously by ensuring that the production aligns with good manufacturing practice (GMP).

    He said countries with very high level of personal and environmental hygiene usually don’t have problems with the disease as it thrives mainly in dirty environment.

    Orhii said the vaccine came into existence in 1975 when the American in Vietnam used it to protect themselves against typhoid.

    “We have been evaluating the vaccine for four years,” he said.

    He described typhoid as a menace the country has been grappling with for many years, adding that the introduction of the vaccine would bring the desired change to people’s health status in Nigeria.

    He said the Federal Government takes the issue of typhoid seriously and as such okayed the product for use to forestall the disease.

    Managing Director, Fidson Limited, Mr Fidelis Ayabae said the disease has been contributing to manpower loss and meaningless and preventable deaths.

    The vaccine, he said, would add value to the lives of the people.

    He said typhoid treatment is complicated as patients are often loaded with several antibiotic, which is detrimental to the body.

    Managing Director, Creative Ideas Pharmaceuticals Limited, Mr Tonye Briggs said the product is good for adults and children from two years.

    “It should not administer on adults and children that are allergic to any ingredients of vaccine.

    “In the case of suffering from fever, an acute disease, a progressive chronic disease, the vaccination should be postponed,” he said.

  • NAFDAC condemns unscrupulous ethanol’s importers

    NAFDAC condemns unscrupulous ethanol’s importers

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has condemned the antics of unscrupulous importers of food grade ethanol (alcohol) who in attempt to evade the proper payment of tariffs on absolute alcohol denature it to pay lower tariffs.

    The Agency’s Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, who described the practice as potentially harmful, said the importers denature the alcohol with any substance which can cause health problems.

    Orhii made this charge while receiving the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Lateef Busari, who led his management team on a courtesy visit to the agency as part of efforts of engaging relevant stakeholders in the implementation of the Nigerian Sugar Master plan (NSMP).

    The NAFDAC boss argued that if Nigeria was producing its own alcohol locally, it would be cheaper, cleaner, free of contaminants and easy to regulate and use in the food industry.

    He said: “Local development of sugar will solve a big problem for Nigeria in the area of food, especially in the production of ethanol. This is because one of the problems we are facing as a regulatory agency is the issue of ethanol fraud.”

    He added: “We are all for the development of local sugar industry. For us, we want to ensure that sugar is adequately fortified with Vitamin A. We are in total support for the implementation of this master plan.”

  • ‘Counterfeiting business worth $200b per year’

    THE counterfeiting business in Nigeria is flourishing due to greed and is worth between $75billion to $200billion annually.

    The Director of Special Duties, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, stated these at a public enlightenment programme for members of the Nigerian Youth Corp in Abuja.

    He said: “The Pharmaceutical Security Institutes data estimates that drug counterfeiting is a $75billion business while the world Customs Service puts it at $200 billion business annually.”

    Citing a World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, Jimoh said in wealthy economies, counterfeits account for less than one percent of the market value but 50 percent of internet sales are counterfeit.

    He also told the NYSC members that in emerging economies, counterfeits are estimated at ten percent while in some parts of developing world, counterfeits are put at about 30 percent.

    He said Nigeria has put in place measures to contain counterfeiting, which include sustained public enlightenment, capacity building for workers and review of the law to make them serve as deterrents.

    NAFDAC, he added, is spearheading global efforts in the use of cutting-edge technologies to fight counterfeit drugs and other regulated products.

  • Ebola: NAFDAC warns those making cure claims

    Ebola: NAFDAC warns those making cure claims

    •Agency arrests ‘counterfeiters’

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned those claiming to have products that can cure the Ebola virus disease (EVD) to desist from making such claims.

    NAFDAC’s Director-General Dr Paul Orhii said anybody who has a cure should go through the normal “scientific” process without taking the “evidence-based procedures” for granted.

    Orhii, who spoke in Lagos, stressed that some unscrupulous people were trying to take advantage of the EVD outbreak in the West African sub-region to deceive vulnerable people by making “unconfirmed” claims that they have a remedy for the disease.

    He said NAFDAC was working hard to ensure that dishonest people do not take advantage of the EVD outbreak to swindle Nigerians.

    Orhii said: “People or relatives can go the extra mile to save a sick relation. They can even sell their houses to get treatment. That is the extent to which people can go.”

    The agency chief said EVD has no known cure for now, adding: “It would be a good thing if the cure is found in Nigeria. But things must be done according to laid-down rules.”

    He said those who think they have the cure should come forward with their claims for verification.

    Orhii added: “They need to do peer review, efficacy and toxicity tests, among other authentication exercises.”

    The agency also said yesterday it has arrested three suspects for illegal production and faking of regulated products.

    Orhii said one of the suspects, Mr Emmanuel Ume, of 9, Oshogbo Street, Itire, Surulere, was apprehended on a Sunday morning when he was allegedly producing a brand of Brandy 501, among other unregulated products, in his room.

    Others items, such as cake preservation, glycerin and corn flour, were allegedly recovered from his apartment.

    “Also arrested are two other suspects – Mr Otutu Fredrick, of Shop DO43, Akwa Ibom Plaza and Mr Okoye Chikeluo of Shop C004, Kaduna Plaza, both on Trade Fair Complex – for counterfeiting popular and fast moving cosmetic products,” Orhii said.

    Some faked products, the agency chief alleged, were also found in their possession.

    The products are: Dove Fair body smooth cream, Dove Essential nourishing body cream, Vaseline Coco Butter and Vaseline Intensive Care body lotion, among others.

    Orhii warned the people to confirm products before buying them because counterfeit cosmetics are harmful to the skin and could cause cancer to unsuspecting users.

    The agency chief said NAFDAC was concerned about the importation of product labels and packaging materials.

    He added that some corrupt people were using them to make counterfeit products.

  • NAFDAC arrests suspects

    NAFDAC arrests suspects

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested one Mr Oresanya Ademola for posing as the agency staff.

    Director-General, NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii, who spoke to journalist in Lagos yesterday, said the suspect had on him a fake badge with which he defrauded one Mr Reuben, a medicine store owner at Sabo, Sagamu, Ogun State, of some money.

    He alleged that the suspect had issued a forged NAFDAC letter and certificate of recognition to Mr Reuben, thereby raising his curiosity.

    Orhii said another impostor, one Mr Olawale Nurudeen Shittu, was also arrested by the agency for forgery, false claims as well as illegal advertising of unregistered herbal products.

    Shittu, who resides at 19, Railway Bypass High Level, Makurdi, Benue State, Orhii said, was arrested in Lagos while presenting a forged NAFDAC notification of product registration of a Bitters purported to be manufactured by Heritage International Therapy Limited located at 84, Karimu Adeyemi Street, Off Akinyode Road, Alagbado, Lagos.

    The name and address of the company were verified but they are be non-existent, he said

    The NAFDAC boss said Mr Shittu has been enticing unsuspecting people to buy his products at his premises, which serves as clinic to diagnose patient of ailments.

    “The suspect similarly uses Abiola Nature Therapy Limited located at 7, Tafawa Balewa Street, Jos, Plateau State, for sale and illegal advertisement of the products.”

    Dr Orhii said Mr Shittu carries out his nefarious activities with one Alhaji Abiola of Abiola Nature Therapy, who is presently at large.

    The DG warned the public not to take unregistered products, adding that they should be vigilant of dubious people, who parade themselves as the agency staff.

    He said the suspected impersonator and fraudster will be handed over to the police for prosecution.

    Reacting to his arrest, Mr Ademola said he veered to impersonation because of “frustration”.

    “It was frustration. That led me into it,” he said.

    He said he was relieved of his job with a microfinance bank, adding that this brought untold hardship that led him into impersonation.

    The father of three said he was caught while trying to extort money from a medicine store as a NAFDAC staff.

    “I have only collected N20, 000 before I was caught,” he said.

    Ademola, 41, who claimed he started impersonating the agency officials last month, said he feels bad because he has tarnished his good name.

    Mr Shittu, 34, said his organisation registered two of their three products with the agency, adding that nobody told them that the registration of the last product was faked.

    “It was the agent, Mr Ayo who did the registration that made a mess of the third one. We did not know. We registered our products since 2011 and this is the second time we are renewing the registration,” he said.

    He said he was arrested in Lagos on Friday after he was told to report to the agency Lagos office from Makurdi.

    Shittu said his company did the advertisement in line with the agency’s guidelines.

     

     

  • NAFDAC seeks harmonisation of medicineregulation in West Africa

    National Agency for Food and Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC) Director-General Dr Paul Orhii urged  Heads of National Medicine Regulatory Authorities (NMRA) and West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU) to adopt the harmonisation of medicine regulation in the region.

    The call was made at a meeting of NMRA and WAEMU in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The meeting is to promote the adoption of  standards, documentation and procedures for medicine regulation among ECOWAS member-countries.

    Dr  Orhii noted the benefits of  common guidelines and governance mechanism which, according to him, will see the sub-region witness an improved public health as a result of the rapid access to safe and efficacious medicine to treat priority diseases.

    Other benefits of  harmonisation, according to him, are the economic gains that can be derived from harmonising documentation and the attendant cost reduction for regulatory authorities.

    Orhii said the harmonisation will reduce duplication as it affects inspection activities and cut down cost initially incurred from sponsoring large number of inspectors by National Medicine Regulatory Authorities to manufacturing companies, reduce burden on companies, increase capacity building and information sharing, whilst improving regulatory confidence among member states.

    The participants resolved at the end of the meeting to agree to work together to achieve convergence in three years, prepare a common action plan based on the commonalities observed in the action plan presented by WAEMU and non WAEMU groups and to form a short term plan to be submitted to the partners for funding.

    The participants also agreed to set up a technical committee to develop a long term project proposal for submission to the partners.

    Other resolutions of the meeting include recommendation to Ministers of Health in the region to ensure the setting of autonomous medicine regulatory authorities in countries where they do not exist to facilitate the harmonisation process.

    The participants also advocated for the adoption of the validated common technical document (CTD) format for medicine regulation in the 15 countries of the ECOWAS.

    The meeting also resolved to strengthen inter country collaboration despite the language barriers to accelerate the convergence.

    In furtherance of the above, the meeting requested WAEMU and WAHO to accelerate the setting up and functioning of the regional steering committee during the three years transition period.

    According to the Public Relations Officer the agency, Mrs Christy Obiazikwor, the harmonidation will, no doubt, boost economy of Nigeria in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda following the pre-qualification drive of Nigerian Pharmaceutical companies and subsequent WHO GMP certification of one of the companies.

  • MAS deadline: NAFDAC begins enforcement

    MAS deadline: NAFDAC begins enforcement

    In a decisive move to achieve President Goodluck Jonathan’s declarative statement on zero tolerance to counterfeit drugs, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced enforcement of the deadline for implementation of the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) by pharmaceutical companies nationwide.

    The enforcement operation, which started in Abuja on Wednesday, July 2 under the auspices of the Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate of NAFDAC, was geared towards mopping up from circulation all anti-malarial and anti-biotic medicines that do not carry on their labels the MAS scratch and text authentication codes which were introduced since 2010 by the NAFDAC’s Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, to save consumers from the menace of fake drugs.

    Dr. Orhii, who is currently celebrated worldwide for introducing multi-layered anti-counterfeiting technology, said there is no going back on enforcement of compliance with the MAS deadline which has previously been shifted twice in the last three years due to plea for more time by a segment of the pharmaceutical the industry.

    Dr. Orhii said NAFDAC has the full support of the President and the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, to enforce implementation of the service in a bid to eradicate counterfeit drugs in the country.

    He disclosed that firm instructions have been given to all NAFDAC offices across the country to go round various pharmaceutical outlets to enforce compliance as deadline is irreversible and sacrosanct.

    According to him, the scratch and text service (MAS) has put the power of detecting counterfeit drugs in the hands of over 100million mobile phone users in the country.

    The Director-General stated that the international community is full of commendation for Nigeria for pioneering the use of cutting-edge technologies in combating counterfeit medicines.

    Meanwhile, the enforcement team led by Director of PVG/BMS, Mrs. Adeline Osakwe, cracked down on over 50 pharmacies in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, which were found to have stocked anti-malarial and anti-biotic drugs without the scratch and text codes.

    A consultative /sensitization forum was organized last week by the NAFDAC to iron out the grey areas preparatory to enforcement of the MAS deadline.

  • ‘Our Girls’: Victims and Survivors Fund; Solar projects; Dora, Dr Adegoke Kalejaiye. RIP

    ‘Our Girls’: Victims and Survivors Fund; Solar projects; Dora, Dr Adegoke Kalejaiye. RIP

    ‘O The call by American Congresswomen for a Trust Fund for the families and victims of violence, bomb blast and now the especially ’Our Girls’ from Chibock, is an addition to the repeated call in this column on the same issue when it was suggested that a Victims’ Fund be set up by the federal government provided it does not get contaminated or corrupted by the operators. Shamefully, nothing was done then except pay some hospital bills. We pray compensation, medical expenses, further treatment like mobility and hearing aids, scholarships for survivors and dependents will all be addressed.

    The N34billion solar project in one of the states is a wonderful step in the right direction. All states should encourage the erection of solar systems as an alternative to a 40-year failed national grid which will continue to fail in the foreseeable future. It is obvious that at the slow pace of power reform, Nigeria’s companies do not have the mental capacity to provide the required 100,000Mw needed right now even by 2050. If we were Japan or the UK, such electricity power would have been provided overnight by offshore electricity barges and giant generators. Unfortunately we seem to have no capacity for such emergency dynamic solutions.

    Again, a big salute to Dora Akunyili who died last week in India. Among several landmarks she led a spirited, dangerous and life-threatening fight against fake drugs which was partly successful. Unfortunately, as with anything conceived for good, some within the organisation she headed were believed to have partly high-jacked the opportunity of mandatory registration to extort from manufacturers for the issuance of NAFDAC licences. True or false, in memory of Dora Akunyili, NAFDAC should , like Caesar’s wife, clean up any smell of corruption by close supervisory monthly reporting on the honesty of staff- including bank checks of families, attention to applications and transparency in testing and reasonable, not exorbitant fees for tests. NAFDAC should not be allowed to rot.

    We say Nigeria lacks role models, but it does not. The problem is that our role models are not brought to the public’s and media’s attention. Many good Nigerians live their whole lives servicing the jammed wheels of progress and die almost unannounced. Indeed it is those Nigerians, citizens engaged in the various professions and vocations, working tirelessly for years throughout their lives who keep Nigeria going through all the political corruption, darkness and irresponsibility, through the power-failures and the nation’s petroleum and financial upheavals. Paradoxically it is not the politicians, budget, electricity or security situation that keeps Nigeria going. It is the huge workload of many unannounced but outstanding, dedicated and exemplary artisans, traders, transporters, farmers, teachers and professional who work day-in and day-out for family survival that keep the wheels of Nigeria going in spite of the evil machinations of the political class.

    One such outstanding Nigerian is Dr Adegoke Kalajaiye, a name you may or may not know. Perhaps I should use the term ‘was’ because he passed away at 59 on June 5. He went to Government College Ibadan and had his medical training abroad. You will certainly know the name if you have been a member of any of the families of the thousands of patients he has treated or scanned for babies or prostates or gall bladders or livers during his career. I have had the rare privilege of having worked with Dr Kalejaiye since the early 80s, first at Oluyoro Catholic Hospital Ibadan and later in medical practice which eventually became a partnership. Dr Kalajaiye represented the quintessential true Nigerian, not hard to find if you look. He was better than punctual as he was always early to work arriving around 7-7.15am daily for the 23 years we worked closely together. He commenced every day by praying for a successful medical day. He became our ‘Bishop’ conducting all our prayers at any ‘happening’ in the clinic. He worked consistently during each day and ended the day with prayers. He had excellent and positive attitude to work and fellow workers. In the 30 years I have known and worked with him, I do not recall a raised voice or misunderstanding as we always seemed to have the same goal, objective and methodology in any discussion or action. We never once misinterpreted the action or inaction of each other. He was always sartorially elegant but not flamboyant. He was a very good professional, delivering service in a hospital setting for 10 years before specialising in ultrasound. But he was much more than a good prayerful doctor. His medical professionalism was rewarded with an appointment to the Baptist Teaching Hospital Board. He had close brothers and sisters and was a family man who with his wife, brought up his four wonderful children to distinction and he had a grandson. May God protect them all. He was a strong member of the Full Gospel Men’s Fellowship. He was a powerful voice in the Baptist Choir and Choirmaster. Dr Kalajaiye was always available for rehearsals. He was a great writer, devoting his annual leave to writing a spiritual book each year and ‘Where Will You Spend Eternity’ was a poster in his consulting room. This week as we bury this wonderful man and already miss him greatly, May His Gentle Soul Rest In Perfect Peace and may God bring succour to his family.

     

  • Dora Akunyili (1954-2014)

    Dora Akunyili (1954-2014)

    • “Madam NAFDAC,” a woman of disconcerting honesty, passes on

    Professor Dora Akunyili’s untimely passing last week was a personal blow to many Nigerians who saw her as a symbol of the heights the country could attain if only its citizens put the nation above themselves. In a nation full of predators masquerading as public servants, she stood out for her commitment, her passion, her forthrightness and her patriotism.

    Professor Akunyili imposed herself on the national consciousness with her successful stint as Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Like most federal agencies, NAFDAC was riddled with inefficiency and corruption. It had spectacularly failed to regulate the pharmaceutical industry; fake and expired drugs and foods were so rife in the country that they outnumbered the genuine article. Heartless businessmen were importing drugs and food unfit for human consumption into the country and reaping huge profits. The conventional wisdom was that nobody could clean up the mess.

    It was a challenge that Akunyili accepted wholeheartedly. Her tactical approach was a masterpiece of selflessness: realising that her fellow-Igbo had invested heavily in the business, she sent a strong symbolic message by tackling them head-on. Nobody could doubt the sincerity of a regulator who began with her own, and from then on her campaign was taken seriously by a hitherto-jaded Nigerian public.

    Her victories against the scourge of fake foods and drugs are a testimony to the comprehensiveness of her campaign. An estimated N5 billion worth of fake drugs was destroyed during her tenure. The infamous Ariara market which was a centre of the fake drugs trade was shut down until the traders agreed to police themselves. Akunyili preached against the dangers of fake drugs and unwholesome foods with such intensity that the nation and the world sat up and took notice. By the time she left NAFDAC, she had attained global renown which was manifested in a shower of accolades and honours.

    Her next job was that of Minister of Information. This was a very different assignment, beset by challenges of another kind entirely. The moral clarity of the NAFDAC job was replaced by the partisan ambiguities of political propaganda. Professor Akunyili approached it with her usual energy. A rebranding programme was set up; the search for a national catchphrase began; the country was touted around the world as the “Heart of Africa.”

    However, things did not turn out as well as expected. Akunyili discovered that her audience was less willing to accept her ministerial pronouncements at face value, especially when they appeared to run counter to visible evidence. The disconnect reached its peak during the illness and subsequent death of President Umar Yar’Adua. Akunyili found herself more and more out of touch with the facts that she finally famously confessed to having no information about the ailing president, even though she was Minister of Information. To her credit, she was the first credible voice within government to urge that the true state of the president’s condition be made known to the nation.

    Unlike most Nigerian politicians who hang on to office, Akunyili left both her ministerial position and her membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in order to contest a senatorial seat in Anambra State under the All-Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). She lost narrowly in a closely-fought and often-bitter campaign, but resurfaced as a member of the state’s delegation to the National Conference.

    Regardless of the ups and downs of her public career, there is little doubt that Professor Akunyili left a positive impression in the minds of a majority of Nigerians. Her competence, her passion, her commitment to excellence and her disconcerting honesty will never be forgotten. May her soul rest in peace.