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.
