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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.
An expert in Concierge Medicine said
$12000 even 15 years ago would barely scratch the surface to do a full concierge
medicine and work-up even before treatment.
During pre-surgery check-up in the
US, the doctors told her the Nigerian experts 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 the 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.
Then, came 2001 when 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 Anambran.
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.
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.
According to TheCable, the type of
cancer could not be ascertained, but there are several reports pinpointing
cervical.
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.
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