The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prof. Dora Akunyili

  • Succour for wives of fallen heroes

    No fewer than 200 widows of fallen heroes of the Nigerian Legion from Anambra State would be empowered by the state chapter as part of activities marking its year’s end celebrations.

    The Anambra State Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Major Elder Nwankwo Joseph Ifeanyichukwu, who dropped the hint, said the empowerment was targeted at ameliorating the plight of the widows and to take care of their immediate families.

    Members of the Legion comprise ex-servicemen, some of whom still render security services to the country in various ways. Many of them help in the fight against Boko Haram, some even killed in the course.

    Ifeanyichukwu said widows of Legion members would be given grinding and sewing machines, farming tools and other inputs, consumables and cash, among other items.

    He requested the women in the state to register with them so they would be captured in the exercise.

    He solicited for concerted effort and financial assistant from both the government and public spirited individuals to carry out the lofty project, which he said, would be held annually.

    According to Ifeanyichukwu, the celebration which would take place at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Center, Awka, would be declared open by the state governor, Willie Obiano.

    Lamenting lack of an administrative office for the legion in the state, the chairman further appealed to the governor to approve a land anywhere in the state capital to enable them start building the state secretariat of the Legion.

    He said, “Non-utilisation of the previous parcel of land allocated to the legion opposite the government house by Group Captain Garba Rufai (Rtd) for the previous administrations of the legion made the state, the only state in the south east that exists without a secretariat.

    “We need financial support from both the government and public spirited individuals. We want government to improve on their welfare package for us.

    “We will also want the governor to provide an SUV car for the chairman or replace the Legion’s bus that is now in bad shape and as well, enlist us as one of the beneficiaries of the community project initiatives organised by his administration.

    “We have given much to the world and nothing should be looked on as too big to be given back to us in return,” he appealed.

  • What a Briton said

    Flashback to March 2009 and the loud launch of a project tagged Rebranding Nigeria. At the event in Abuja, the then Information Minister, Prof. Dora Akunyili, unveiled a slogan that was appealing on paper:  ”Good People, Great Nation”. Akunyili said: ”Nigeria cannot wait until it solves all her problems before it can stand to give serious thought to rebranding its battered image. This is because our development is tied to our image. This negative perception has had destructive effects on our people and stymied our growth and national progress.”

    The cosmetic idea belonged to the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration, and the then Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, represented Yar’Adua on the occasion. Jonathan said: “Let us resolve that we would no longer be held ransom by the fraudsters that give Nigeria and all of us a bad name and image.”  On behalf of the members of the rebranding committee, Isawa Elaigwu said: “We are not happy with the Nigerian product we have now; hence we have decided to do something about it… All we hear in the past is that Nigeria is a fertile ground for credit fraud and all kinds of crime. We all can rebrand Nigeria. Once we continue to rebrand ourselves, then Nigeria can be rebranded.”

    Against this background, the news that a 70-year-old British pensioner, William Harding, appeared in an England court charged with using improper language against his former Nigerian employee, had branding and rebranding implications, especially given that the 2009 project is considered a failure.

    Harding was accused of making remarks that were “grossly offensive or of an obscene character” in his counter-claim sent electronically to a small claims court concerning a Nigerian whom he described as a “typical thieving Nigerian”. He was also accused of saying in a form he filled: “I don’t think God made a worse race than Nigerians. I’ve not come across an honest one yet.” It is noteworthy that a report said: “Harding pleaded not guilty to the offence, saying he did not intend to cause any offence and did not think the victim would have been offended by the remarks.”

    Quite apart from the anti-racism merit of Harding’s trial, which is expected to take place in September, the point is that Nigeria and Nigerians still suffer branding and rebranding problems. Recently, the pioneer secretary and former Chief Executive Officer, Rebranding Nigeria, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, reportedly blamed the project’s failure on inadequate funding. He was quoted as saying: “We agreed on a social mobilisation programme that would even affect and influence teachings from our primary schools, etc. It was a great programme. And it was structured to run over a long span, not some six months campaign. Is it still relevant? Of course, it will always be, for as long as we need to go through a social reengineering programme.”

    Although Harding’s sweeping generalisation betrays a racist narrow-mindedness, it is food for thought that the perception of Nigerians as being characteristically corrupt has travelled far and wide. Irrespective of how his trial is concluded, Harding’s point of view should help to further energise the anti-corruption campaign of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency.

  • Photos: RIP Dora Akunyili

    Photos: RIP Dora Akunyili

  • Dora Akunyili’s last wish by husband

    Dora Akunyili’s last wish by husband

    The release of the abducted Chibok girls was the last wish of Late former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof  Dora Nkem Akunyili.
    Husband to the late former Director General of National Agency for food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr Chike Akunyili disclosed this while briefing the media on the burial of his wife on August 28.
     “Akunyili’s last wish was the release of the abducted girls at chibok by the insurgent in Borno state and she was particular about the insecurity ravaging the country, ”
    While announcing the burial arrangement for the late wife on Saturday , Dr Akunyili announced that the late wife would also receive another post humous award from the United States of America on November 18, 2014 for pushing Pharmacy to a greater height.
    The funereal of late Prof Akunyili  which would hold at Madonna Catholic Mission at Agulu will be led by  Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
     
    Dr Akunyili, told reporters that though his wife had died, that her soul is still hovering around, adding my heart is still heavy over her death.
     He said since his wife died, there had been a mass service at Enugu for her every Friday because she was prayerful.
     ” What has been happening since she died had been mysterious, we have never had any problem in every thing we have planned’ he said.
    He said Dora surrendered her green card for the love of her country , adding that she did not want disintegration of Nigeria but  wanted a homogenous country .
    According to him, “my wife said I will serve Nigeria with the last drop of my blood and as a result the federal government gave her all the support in everything she did.”