 |
| Akunyili |
It was tears galore as the remains
of the former Director General of the National Agency for Food, Drug
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof Dora Akunyili, arrived the country
today in preparation for burial.
SHOWBIZPLUSng gathered that a former
aide of the former Information Minister confirmed to Vanguard that the remains
of the late NAFDAC boss had been deposited at the National Hospital mortuary in
Abuja.
According to the source, the corpse,
which was ferried by a chartered aircraft, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja at about 5:30 pm on Wednesday from an Indian
hospital where she died last week.
The body of the late national delegate
was accompanied by the former Anambra State Governor, Mr, Peter Obi, Mrs. Uche
Ekunife, the husband and children of the deceased.
The family will meet with the
officials of the Federal Government before a burial date and programme is
agreed upon, according to a competent source.
Vanguard learnt that the Federal
Government had indicated interest in giving the late information minister what
a source described as a ‘befitting burial’ as a result of her enormous
contributions to the development of Nigeria.
Meanwhile The entire session of the
Federal Executive Council, FEC, was yesterday devoted to paying tribute to late
Professor Dora Akunyili, who died in an Indian hospital last Friday.
It was the kind of honour that was
only extended to the late President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, by the
Federal Executive Council when he died last year.
President Goodluck Jonathan who led
his ministers to pay tribute to the former Minister of Information and
Communication, described her as “a virtuous woman who is not easy to come by.”
Jonathan’s first encounter with
Akunyili Recalling his first encounter with the late former Director General of
National Agency for Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, President Jonathan
said he invited her for a breakfast when he was deputy governor, adding that
what she did was to warn his steward not to serve him cold bread to avoid
contracting ulcer from eating such food.
He said Akunyili complained that the
bread served at breakfast was not warmed and warned that it could contain germs
and, thereafter, summoned the cook to tongue-lash her for the neglect.
He praised Prof. Akunyili for her
passion when she was appointed NAFDAC’s Director General, adding that though
most people who were involved in the fake drugs trade were her kinsmen, she
fought them courageously.
President Jonathan said the late
Minister’s rebranding campaign for the country, with the popular slogan, “Good
people, great nation”, has remained enduring and ingrained in the minds of many
Nigerians.
“She is not with us but I believe
this is how God wanted it. He saved her life from the assassin’s bullet. If He
didn’t want it (her death), He could have saved her life from the sting of
sickness,” the President stated.
In his tribute, Vice President
Namadi Sambo said the death of Akunyili was great loss not only to her family
but also the nation.
According to Sambo, “she was a
patriotic Nigerian who left an indelible mark in the country, especially when
she developed a system to rebrand this country as Minister of Information. She
ensured that the issue of fake drug in Nigeria was addressed”
Anyim Secretary to Government of the
Federation, SGF , Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, described her as a true nationalist
and a reformer, while the Head of Service, Alhaji Goni Aji, said: “NAFDAC,
under Akunyili, emerged first in the rankings under the Civil Service programme
to transform it into a world class service.” Finance Minister
The Coordinating Minster of the
Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who led the tribute
from Ministers, described Akunyili as a woman of strength and passion “who
spoke and worked the passion.” She noted that during her time, NAFDAC was
consistently voted the best government agency because of her diligence. Musa
Sada
Minister of Solid Minerals, Alhaji
Musa Sada, described her as a passionate woman who “was not willing to slow
down for anything she believed was good for the country.”
Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu
Nebo, under whose vice chancellorship Dora Akunyili was granted professorship,
described her as a “very forthright, honest and diligent” woman who was
courageous enough to speak out during the dark part of the nation’s history.
Labour Minister The Minister of
Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Nwogu, described her death as a rude
shock, noting that even at the risk of her life, she remained committed to the
work in NAFDAC in the interest of the nation, while the Minister of State
(Defence) , Senator Musliu Obanikoro, called her a woman blessed with uncommon
candour who put up a stellar performance as DG of NAFDAC.
“A great woman and above all, a
woman of history,” he said, even as the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen,
observed that Akunyili was, indeed, an amazon who contributed her quota to the
development of the nation. He recalled that the late member of the National
Conference had lauded the present administration on the implementation of the
2nd Niger Bridge and implored it not to disappoint on the yearning of the
people of the South East.
The Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chukwu, said he was pained by the death of “an outstanding patriot who believed
in the good of the people”, while Minister for Interior, Comrade Abba Moro,
remarked that her death was a dark moment in the life of the country.
Maku The Minister of Information,
Mr. Labaran Maku, moved the motion to condole President Jonathan, the nation
and Akunyili’s immediate family and was seconded by his Water Resources
colleague, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe.
Vanguard -
No comments:
Post a Comment