What Chike Akunyili  Told Nigerians Before His Death

Observers say there must be something very strong about marital ties when the case of late Professor Dora Akunyili and her husband, Dr Chike Akunyili, is put into consideration.

The male Akunyili, a doctor of medicine, was recently felled by bullets from dare devil killers, brief moment after he witnessed the posthumous inauguration of Professor Dora Akunyili Memorial Lecture by the University of Nigeria Alumni Association Onitsha branch.

Emengini Osadebe reports that just before he died, Dr Chike advised Nigerians to imbibe Dora’s policy of hard work, honesty, commitment, humility and doggedness in the discharge of their duties, even as he revealed that his late wife, loved Nigeria with passion.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka Alumni Association, Onitsha, used the occasion of its sixtieth founders’ day anniversary to inaugurate the memorial lecture with the theme “Drug Counterfeiting and Trafficking as Crime Against Humanity: Agenda for restoring Human Dignity in Food, Drug Administration and Control.

The event, held at Sharon House GRA Onitsha, also featured an award presentation session.

The one-day lecture, held at Sharon House GRA Onitsha, ended with a call on those at various leadership positions to uphold integrity as their watchword, which the late Professor Dora Akunyili stood for in order to make Nigeria great again.

In his opening remark, the chairman on the occasion and the Vice Chancellor Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Professor Charles Esimone represented by the Director of Research and Innovation Unizik, Professor Ikechukwu Ugochukwu commended the organizers of the event for the theme of the Inaugural Lecture, which according to him was apt considering the fact that drugs should be administered properly.

The Vice Chancellor noted that the late Professor Dora Akunyili believes in the sanity of life hence the role she played in restoring sanity in safeguarding the society through NAFDAC and called on all stakeholders to help fight crime, drug abuse and its misuse in the society.

In her welcome address, the President, University of Nigeria Alumni Association, Onitsha branch, Barrister Elizabeth Anyaonu said the objective of the lecture was to celebrate excellence, patriotism, gender equality and also promote progress in order to ensure good governance and sustainable development as well as sustain the fight against counterfeit drugs and unwholesome food with the view to safeguarding the health of Nigerians, the efforts of the late Professor Dora Akunyili.

In his paper entitled “The Shadow of My Mentor” the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Vincent Okpala, who described the late Professor Akunyili as his mentor, enumerated various efforts of the state government to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state calling for aggressive fight against drug abuse to accomplish that great value, which professor Dora Akunyili stood for.

The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Mr. C-Don Adinuba, who described the late Professor Akunyili as the Amazon of Anambra State maintained that she was endowed with integrity.

High points of the event include citation of the late Professor Akunyili’s last address, cutting of Anniversary Cake and presentation of award to some people, who distinguished selves in their various fields of endeavour.